So let's begin the meeting of the Library Board of Trustees.

May I have a call to order, please.

Chair Nichols.

Present.

Vice Chair Lucas.

Present.

Trustee Lenairs.

Present.

Trustee Markle.

Present.

And Trusty Spanzel.

Present.

We have a quorum.

Thank you.

Okay.

Next item.

Public comment.

The public is invited at this time to provide comment on any topic that relates to a matter over which this public body has supervision, control, or jurisdiction.

Come on up.

Thank you for being here.

It's my pleasure.

And then state your name and spell it, please, for the record.

Catherine Cunningham, C A T H E R I N E C U N N I N G H A M.

Thank you.

And I'm here with the Sierra Nevada Forums.

And I just wanted to have this entered in the record that we have a very exciting event coming up that we are coordinating with Joy Holt and Betts Markle.

It's the screening of the documentary, The Librarians.

And it's part of our Sierra Nevada Forums.

We provide free forums every month at the Brewery Art Center.

And this uh will be our April program.

It'll be on April 22nd.

The doors will open at five.

The program will begin at five thirty.

We're going to show the documentary first, and then we will have um a panel discussion just so that um local librarians can share their insights and experiences.

So if we could just help get the word out, we would greatly appreciate it.

Oh, perfect.

Thank you.

And are you advertising it on on the break?

Like um, Facebook and all that.

From the BAC.

On BAC.

Uh yes.

Yes.

As well as our own website and Carson now, the Nevada appeal, K-U-N R.

Okay.

So trying to get the word out, and if there's any mailing list that you all could include, and we'd appreciate it, whatever you need to do.

Perfect.

Perfect.

All right.

And then if you want me to handle it, yes.

I'll just give you a stack.

All right.

Thank you all.

Thank you for coming.

So we're gonna move on.

Okay, item number four, um, approval of minutes.

Has everybody had um the opportunity to look over the minutes?

And if so, may I have a motion to approve.

I make a motion to approve the minutes from last session.

Thank you.

I second the motion.

All in favor.

Aye.

Aye.

Oppose.

Motion passes.

No, we're not.

You are going to give us a presentation regarding a proposed change to the job title and job description of the workforce development position.

Sorry, jump in ahead.

Yes, and I'm sure that's correct.

This is Joy Hole Library Director for the record.

Um, I did send this out via email to y'all yesterday of late materials.

Um, and that was also posted on the um website yesterday as late materials.

But where it is located is starting at page 20 in your packet there.

And this is the job description that was rewritten.

Um, as you can see there at the top, it's uh library resources and systems manager, formerly known as the workforce development and social services coordinator position.

This is the same grade and same um status in terms of unclassified exempt um position.

Um, but I've rewritten it to incorporate more of what we need at this time, but also maintain and stay aligned with the intent of the previous position as it relates to workforce development, particularly, so that this position can help with our well, as you see here, um it's it's explains itself.

Can you back up a little bit, Joan?

You and I've had a conversation and maybe others, but can you explain briefly about why it was decided to um go this route?

Um, yeah, so it's been a very difficult position to fill, um, which is the most um just obvious, I think, probably to everyone, um, because it was really wasn't we weren't getting the right candidates for the intention of the position.

We were getting a lot of people who were applying that were um really looking for a very very much a social services position, um, a lot of folks coming from DHHS and having that sort of social work skill set.

That was part of the job, but not the biggest piece of the job.

Um, where we're at right now is that we really need someone who can perform the duties of helping our public users with workforce development databases, um learning skills, um, you know, how to write a resume, how to use a computer.

So to someone who can help with adult learning services that are related to workforce development and can help someone get on the Nevada Career Explorer and become an individual career mapper, that person that who fills this position can do all of those things, but isn't expected or have a description that is related to um performing the duties that we have of those resources available to us with as part with partners.

So for example, we have employee and v that comes and helps um folks every Friday find employment or or um not so much resume writing, but just what's available out there, what are their skill sets, what's available to them.

We also have DHS who comes and helps people get on SNAP benefits and helps them learn how to navigate through the Medicaid Medicare Medicaid system.

And so some of what we were doing was, and Trustee Linares had mentioned this too.

Um, the were we stepping on uh or will we were we repeating services?

And um, I don't know that we were repeating services because we didn't have anyone in the position, but I think that um given the way that the job was written and described, um, the candidates that we were getting would very much be aligned with work that we're providing our services we're providing with partners, and so we would be duplicating services, if that makes sense.

Also, I just wanted to um because we did have a conversation about this.

W and C is really um I'm gonna say pushing to talk to all the local employees because Mike remember the gentleman who came in who wanted was it welders who came in.

Oh, yeah, that's Gared.

Yeah, they um they're they're reaching out to those kind of employers and saying what do you need and starting to gear classes towards towards that.

Right.

So there's um there's the governor's initiative for the for the coming five years is to really um also push technical jobs.

So I think there's gonna be a lot more help out there.

So I don't believe that it's just my opinion that the this was the best fit for the library.

You know, yeah, I think that it was an excellent um decision at the time that we made it, and you sometimes things don't work out, and you know, we have the benefit of having tried it and having had it not necessarily uh fit within the confines of what we have, what we can do and what we need.

I also think that we can still very much dwell in this space and ecosystem within workforce development by having an upper having folks be able to come in and get some of those very base level skills that before you can even you know go into a um welding program, for example, you need to know how to be able to turn on a computer.

And you know, there are even these trades type positions are requiring technology skills that we can help people learn, or we can help direct them, or we can get them even help them with a resume, or we can partner with people who can help us provide those resources because what we really need right now is someone who can we we need to be able to fold in that expectation and that work and provide that type of programming that's related to that work to technology work, but also have this whole other piece where we have someone who can manage our system, our computer systems that talk with one another, and someone who can who has experience with managing resources um such as databases and online services and manage a website and take some of that um burden off of my other managers who are who are doing that work right now.

Um and I think we need someone who we do, we need some, I know we need someone who has experience in this type of field in a library, a public library, because of all of the balls in the air.

And I can learn it truly.

Um am I going to be an IT professional?

No, but this job is not necessarily your traditional IT professional.

This is someone who knows how to do this work that's needed to make all of these to make this machine communicate and and keep the wheels on this bus, but also get to a point of doing just beyond just keeping the wheels on the bus, but moving, you know, um, for lack of a better phrase, um, making the wheels fancier and nicer and um and making them go a little faster.

So um, and and we just we can teach ourselves how to do this.

Librarians are, as you all know, very resilient and very much um able to train ourselves, but do we have the time?

No.

And I don't foresee that we're going to have the time to train ourselves on how to do this as best as someone who already has the experience could do.

So that's where we're at.

Could you refresh our memories, mostly mine?

Um the grant dollars that we have are mainly paying for our contractors and the contracts that we have with Goed, right?

So this this position that was going to be associated with and also learn from and take duties from GoEd at the end of was going to be funded normally.

Correct.

So that's why we can always around because it's not grant dollars.

Correct.

That was all this was always a position that's been funded by the um library.

Okay.

Um it was we've had this management position for many years.

It's had many different iterations, but yes, it is not it is not grant funded, it is um general fund budgeted, and it will still be able to work with our project or the person who's working with uh with us on the go-ed project.

And we don't have any stipulations as part of that grant that we have to maintain any sort of a position at a percentage or anything like that.

So we're not okay.

No, we're actually the one of the main purposes of our involvement in that grant is to provide fiscal agency um for that funding.

Okay.

Um, and what the the carrot in it for us, and the advantage to us was that we we get more time with that project um person who who has been out helping our community learn this material and partnering with different um uh uh organizations in town on behalf of the library.

Um so that piece of work is also going to continue once this grant period ends.

Um, it's my understanding, and I can't say for sure, um, that it's the this work will continue.

It's it will just not be continuing at the Carson City Library.

It will move on to a different agency.

We're talking about the head, the VR headset and those classes.

The the work that's associated with the Sandy grant um and um the funding that's associated with this grant that we're working with, or it's actually an interlocal agreement.

Um, is that the all of the work that's associated with that is um my understanding is going to be picked up by a different agency, but I can't really speak at length to that because I know very little about it because we're really not involved.

Um, so our work doesn't extend beyond the grant period, which is the end of this fiscal year.

And did we not have another management or maybe it was lower management position that was technically technology-based, but I can't remember it.

We had a technology coordinator, and that position, that person stepped down, and I took that opportunity to rewrite that position as our library services.

That's where I was thinking.

So then we kind of left a hole a little a little bit.

Yeah, I mean, and these positions, you know, they were at the time they were written by um Dr.

Colgrove when he was the director.

I I helped him write those positions, and at the time they made sense and and um, but now we have the benefit of hindsight, things have changed.

Um I've had a lot of time and have spent, you know, a good bit, well, in some cases, you know, five years thinking about what we need.

And um, and so now here we are.

I have a question for you, Mr.

Okay.

Thank you.

Um, how does this position title and the associated description that you've rewritten here compare to other libraries in the in the state or that you're aware of?

I understand that our libraries are our library for our community, and it's tailored narrowly to those needs, and I'm all for that, but I'm just sort of curious because I do understand what you're saying about the social services aspect, the partner organizations, but also the need to do this, this systems management and uh, you know, facilitation.

So just just out of curiosity if you know anything.

Well, I actually um didn't come up with this name on my own.

Okay.

Um this is uh this is an amalgamation of my research with other libraries and reaching out to colleagues and uh, you know, the variety of the umpteen different um listserves and pages I follow and all of that.

Um this is something that most well uh big library systems have a dedicated IT department.

They have their own dedicated IT department that would function like the city's IT department functions.

Um smaller libraries, you know, if they've got one or two people, they're kind of um doing as much as they can.

Um and uh, you know, they're sort of shoestringing it together.

Um and I would say that at this point, um our particular setup is um the cross between a Gordian knot and it held together by bailing wire and duct tape.

Um and so it's gonna take some time, and and we've been able to unravel that knot to some extent, but now we really need someone who can help us expedite that.

But yes, this is a very um, this is not in fact.

I again, this job description is an amalgamation of systems librarian or systems manager, um, which is very much aligned with handling the different um technologies and computer systems that have to interface with one another effectively within a library system because they are unique.

And um, you know, and then also managing the filtering devices and or the lack of filtering devices and all of those things.

It's very common in libraries, and we're lucky that we have a position open that we can create this for ourselves.

In the past, we had someone that we before I was ever with the library um who was a part-time to um contracted staff member through I think Marathon or one of those temporary staffing um uh organizations or companies that um that handled um some of this work for the library, and we don't have that person anymore.

And um, while I think that was a great solution at the time, we now have an opportunity where we don't need to have someone who is temporary, but we rather can have someone who's gonna sit down and go, okay, here is how we're gonna do all of this and create a the paper trail, the historical knowledge documentation, because right now there's just so much that we don't we've had to data mine for and or reach out to vendors and find out how some of this stuff is working because we have no we have no crumps.

And so um first I need someone to come in and go, okay, here's what.

And then also once all of these gonna be a big task at the onset, um, then say, okay, here's here's some of the things I think that would really help us um with equipment or whatnot, but then also be able to manage a budget related to our research databases and our equipment.

And so um, and someone who's coming from a library background who's done this in libraries would have that.

Some people choose to focus on this uh when they get their master's in library science is to focus on the technical um services piece as related to equipment and systems and knowledge base management.

So this is a long answer to a short question.

Um this is a lot of work for whoever takes this job.

Um my concern is the um the education and experience.

And you just talked about how someone's getting their master's in library science and they're focusing in systems and uh you know resources.

This seems like a really big job for someone who I mean you'd have to get do you have anyone in mind for this?

No, I don't.

Because this is I think this is asking a lot of a person who only has this education and experience.

Well, I think it has to ask a lot because that's the way that the job description of its counterpart is written.

Oh, I don't it's it's okay that it asks a lot.

I think that the education required and experience should be more.

What should the other libraries do?

Did you look at that to see what kind of education they needed?

Yeah, I mean, I think that um it has an associate's degree because I don't want to prohibit someone who does have the experience in libraries um from being eligible for it.

I I don't want to prohibit someone because they don't have a master's degree or even a bachelor's degree, but have years of experience.

So that's why I chose to lower it to, well, first of all, the other the counterpart um position that's the same grade and whatnot has the exact same education requirement.

Um and I deliberately did that so that again I wouldn't be prohibiting people who don't have a bachelor's degree in one of these um one of these areas, but has 15 years of experience in libraries, because if they don't meet the educational criteria, they won't make it past the vetting process with human resources.

I can go, I can go lower, they can you know, but I can't go higher.

Uh I think that we'll probably um my hope is to find someone who does have a higher education level and experience in libraries, but again, I don't want to prohibit someone who might maybe have an associate's in internet technology or in one of these other um related fields, um, and also has experience in libraries.

Um and there we we actually have a staff member right now um in terms of uh having an associates in library science who does have that, but I just I don't want to prohibit people who have experience in a library but don't have the degree for whatever reason, maybe they can't afford it.

Um so I want to be in in an effort towards inclusivity as well, um, and including those who don't have maybe the resources to go get that degree, but have the experience, but then are stuck because they don't have the bachelor's or the higher education level.

Is this paid grade um I'm unfamiliar with pay grades?

So when I see P601, it doesn't mean a lot to me.

Is that a pay grade that would attract people who might have more than an associate's degree, or is this a pre-level pay grade?

Um no.

Um my staff member who is in this same um grade has a has a bachelor's, a master's in a different field and is getting her master's in library science.

So and um, so yeah, I mean, this is deliberately written in this way so that we can attract folks from all backgrounds.

It is a big job, but I I think just um, and I don't think this is what you're saying, but my thought process is that just because someone only has an associate's degree doesn't mean they don't have the experience that it would fit within the educational, because there is an equation between education versus um degree, and so um yeah, I just want to be able to make it to open the candidate pool enough that we've got someone who has experience but um that has experience really, you know, um because I I would rather have some frankly, and I don't want to I don't want to dissuade anyone from applying who's just fresh out of getting their master's in library science with an emphasis in technology, but if I have someone who has an associate's degree that has 15 years of experience and has worked with envision envision where and the other vendors that we work with who can hit the ground running, that person is going to be a better fit for this.

I don't know how the um county does it, but in the state when they do um education experience, they start with minimum start with the word minimum, so the min minimum education would be associate's degree.

So if I had let's say a master's and I'm looking at this, I see a minimum, but it doesn't it doesn't dissuade me from going ahead and applying.

Does that make sense?

I feel like you have an advanced degree, right?

And I'm thinking, oh, okay, maybe they don't want someone with advanced, maybe this is what they're looking at looking for, you know what I mean?

But when you start with minimum, this is the minimum we'll take.

Um sometimes I see minimum and then preferred.

So that still allows.

Well, and this was done in in concert with human resources.

So they've already looked at it and given their input.

Right.

No, I understand.

I'm just saying, I think just the way the state set up is the it starts with that.

Right.

And I don't, you know, maybe maybe the county's website starts with that too.

I don't know, but I just thought maybe that would that would be good.

To have it say minimum.

So they have to have a set associate's degree.

Yes.

Um, it's you do you think that it's not clear from the way that it's written?

No, no, no.

I think it's clear, but I'm saying is somebody who has an advanced degree may not may look at this and go, oh, well, I'm probably overqualified.

I'm overqualified.

Yeah.

So I'm not going to apply.

Got you.

Um that that makes sense.

I get where you're going with that.

Yeah.

Just reminds me of when I was job searching long ago after I got my Mat Lay Law degree, and someone said to take my that degree off of my resume.

And I thought, wow, that's a bummer.

Um I I hear what you're saying, and I will um that's a thank you for that feedback.

That's a good suggestion.

Because they have it in there sometimes.

It's just not in this one, it's no big deal to add it.

So, Joy, I had a few questions as I was reading through it, but you've addressed an awful lot of the things that were on my mind.

Okay.

And um, but just so I can walk away saying, Oh, it makes more sense for me now.

Yeah.

Because we've been talking a lot about, oh, there's a there are a lot of essential functions and things expected.

What kind of training might be provided to a valuable candidate, a person you wanted to offer the job who was missing something.

But um, is that a possibility that there would be training?

Well, it's a requirement of my objectives that the staff be um provided with training as part of their professional development.

Wonderful.

Um, the expectation of my position is to help them with that.

As it stands right now, um, we do have that Ryan Dowd training that the staff are doing, because this person still has to function as a librarian and work a service desk and all of those things as well, not nearly as much as a senior library assistant would, for example, but they need to be able to step in and help with that and serve as a manager on duty just as our other librarians do.

Um that said, I leave it to the staff member to let me know what they think that they need um development in, and then at a certain point I will make suggestions to them based on what I've observed or what I think is uh something they might be interested in.

But yes, we have a budget for it.

Good.

And um, so yeah.

Right.

And then another thing I was thinking or curious about is like you mentioned um a library services director, and I know that at various times, you know, you have different people with great expertise, and they're all doing probably little bits of this.

Correct.

How would hiring this person impact um the staff as a whole with their job day-to-day job function?

Well, it's gonna free up some time for both of my other managers.

So my library services manager is is keeping the the machine rolling um and doing some of this work.

But that person needs to have ideally, um I would like to move that stuff a lot of that off of her.

Now, some of that library services manager position and this position's job duties are interchangeable so that we don't, and that's by design, so that we don't have a single point of failure.

We don't want to have just one person who owns only that one person that knows how to do any of these things.

Um because that's um kind of what we're faced with right now in terms of why it's gonna take it's taking us so long to figure some of these things out.

Um and it's and that person, you know, we want to free up some time for our library services manager to be more focused on um managing the people that fall directly under her that are very much direct related to collection development and circulation.

Um, as far as our programming and outreach coordinator, who's also a manager, Haley, it will take some of the um programming off of her because this person will deliver programming.

Um it will take the website maintenance off of her to the level that she's having to do it now.

She'll still be contributing to that.

We all will, but in terms of having to be the one to reach out to our our the company that we use um to do who developed our website to figure out how to do certain things, um, you know, we just don't that's we really need someone who can manage that, but also allow someone who has this experience with research databases and how to manage them behind the scenes.

But also allow someone who has this experience with research databases and how to manage them behind the scenes.

I did that as a digital services librarian, which was I kicked around that title and it was really long to add to that.

But being able to manage the databases, work with the vendors, figure out how they need to be updated, figure out new ones that are out there that might work for us.

That is something else that this person will do and manage the budget associated with that to take that off of the collection development manager specifically.

So that person can focus on our other electronic materials and books.

Okay.

That sounds good.

And this wouldn't then result in eliminating or reducing some a library assistant or a senior library assistant who who might be doing this, you wouldn't then say, well, we don't need that position now because this person with the big job title is doing it.

It wouldn't have that.

Well, no, this person will have a support staff.

Okay.

This person will have a getting a managerial person.

We wouldn't then in six months say, oh, now we don't need that library assistant.

You still have to do that.

I can assure you, I'm never going to make a change to staffing that's going to eliminate a position.

And then with this person that won't ever happen.

Well, well, I mean, it might happen, but it will be if it happens, it will not be my idea.

Okay.

And with this person, uh, I imagine, you know, the city's technology is enmeshed and independent simultaneously with some aspects of the library.

And so I I read through this and some of this, I said that makes sense.

And so if I said, Oh, okay.

Um, so will this person be working with the city and some, you know, to to be a liaison with the city for the technology needs, they would be this person might be your um, you know, we're having problems with this city aspect, but right now the city has very little to do with any of our stuff.

Um they are me, my deputy, and the person who handles um and does the the our clerical administrative uh clerk is on the city network.

Every other computer in our in the library building is on our individual or independent networks.

Right.

Um, and and our Wi-Fi.

But we do work under the umbrella of the city.

And so I just thinking they would be, you know.

But for example, their IT department does not, they do not do anything with our computers except at those three that I just named.

Okay.

They're very they are there's very little involvement.

Okay.

Um now, as far as liaising with the city and or working with the city in future, um, as things may change or develop, um, that's to be determined.

Okay.

So I have some, I have some plans, but um those are percolating.

Okay.

So, but this position would um, you know, if it comes, if some of those of us, if some of my grand plans become available or are possible, then I would have this person to work with us on that.

Okay.

So I can't say one way or the other because it's all sort of in in my fantasy land head.

Um, but you know, I am thinking um long term, where we want to end up.

Now, may we end up there?

We'll see.

All right.

And so can I restate what I think I've heard from from this end reading this, but I I have to tell you, I didn't hold myself to a high standard of memorizing all of this a lot.

So, you know, there's there are several.

So this person, um, in the light of the former job that the workforce development and all that, this person may be a person who would support patrons, customers, our public.

Uh, when they come in and they don't know how to use a computer, they might not necessarily teach them, but they might refer them.

They might be that point person for um how to use the database and things like that.

That might be an aspect.

And this person also is going to be doing the all those little bits of all those little systems that you have, they are going to be able to see the big picture, bring it together and be able to say in a you know, a as clear a way as all of those things would allow that when this works and it affects that, whatever it is that they're working with that and they're working with the money aspect of managing under your authority, of course, but to give feedback and input of um what are we paying for the databases and what is this cost and and that kind of thing.

Is this kind of what this so this person would also have some public library duties maybe on the desk or something?

Those clients.

Right, those clients um yes to all of that with the with a bit of a tweak on the first question.

Um they won't be a point person for someone who comes in and needs help with any kind of like technical guidance because our staff is trained to be able to help with those preliminary questions.

What this person will do is gather that information from our staff as to someone's coming in here a lot and people people are coming in a lot with iPads and they don't know how to do these things.

That will then trigger that person to go, maybe I need to do a class on how to set up your iPad.

And then that's where they their level of responsibility will click on.

Right now we have every I think it's Wednesdays or Wednesdays, we have a class that's open, it's open hours for called tech busters, and it's four people to come in, it's not by appointment, it's by first come, first serve to get that kind of help.

Okay.

Um so the it's the role of this person to actually provide more um robust and detailed training that our staff aren't out able to ask, um are able to provide.

Um, and some can if someone were to come in and ask me how to set up an iPad, I would be like, okay, let's do this.

I'm ready, I got this.

But um, but this is to help us figure out and and then have someone who can actually provide that programming in a more systematic and um organized way than we're doing it right now.

We're not gonna get rid of the tech busters because that allows people to come in and say, I can't read I can't figure out where my files are on my phone.

Any of our staff member can answer that.

This is this is to provide um more robust services in this area than we're able to provide right now routinely.

Okay, sounds good.

And so this person is a make it the phrasing, a manager.

Correct.

And and so it it did occur to me that I don't have a clear vision, and this is my own.

I I should I could have made a graph, but I didn't.

So um we have X number of managers, X number of senior librarians, X number of library assistants.

You know, are we top heavy?

Is this no we're actually two people less top heavy than we've been in the past historically?

Right.

And I appreciate that because I think that that can become a weight of um that we wouldn't want to be walking into unknowledgeably.

Yeah, I completely agree with you.

You see what I'm saying?

Because it's uh it can have a fiscal impact and a morale impact.

Um and I think it just ends up um contributing to having silos that are counter to our team environment.

Now we did have a very flat hierarchy for the last three years.

Um and there were things that we were running into some issues with that, and so per my last year's evaluation, one of my objectives was to sort of figure out a way to um I don't think it's worded this way, but to like um create a great a more clear chain of command.

Okay.

And so what I've done was take in these management positions that we had available, and I'm trying to think I'm trying to think how many managers we had.

So we have the same level of managers that we had prior, but they're just um that we had prior to our flattening our hierarchy.

Okay.

Um so we still had the management positions, but they weren't siloed in the way like access services, this person does this.

They were very like um, they were uh they didn't interchange as much.

When I came on board five years ago as the deputy, the management positions were very specific and they did not mix.

They did not, there was no crossover.

And so uh we Dr.

Colgrove, my predecessor, flattened that hierarchy.

We still have the management positions, but it was much more wide open, and everyone was being cross-trained, but we didn't have a clear chain of command.

So what I've done over the last year is created a more clear chain of command, but kept the crossover and the interchangeability of these duties so that everybody is involved in programming, everybody's involved in um library services and ultimately resources providing resources.

So we aren't um we are certainly not top heavy in that each of these management positions has two to three people reporting to them.

It's very equal.

Okay.

So I have three people that report to me.

Four.

Um they and then each of my other members have or each of our leadership team has three people that report to them.

How many people we have 14 full-time employees can um um including me?

And how many are managers?

Three.

And two no, that's not true.

Why because um I've got myself, the deputy, and then three managers, so five unclassified positions, correct?

them it's very equal okay so I have three people that report to me four um they and then each of my other members have or each of our leadership team has three people that report to them how many people we have 14 full-time employees can um um including me and how many are managers three and two no that's not true what because um I've got myself the deputy and then three managers so five unclassified positions correct out of 14 correct okay yeah we have part two we have the three part-time positions okay yeah so I mean we're not outside of we're certainly um no less um uh management heavy than our um any of our other counterparts okay yeah I appreciate that thank you all right any other questions I would just like to say Joy I really appreciate the fact that you really took the time to look at this position knowing that was really hard to to fill knowing there were other agencies out there doing the same thing and thoughtfully said what is best for the library and I really I really appreciate that.

Thank you.

You're welcome now we're going on two item number six okay here we go now she's gonna give us her report okay any questions about the financials they haven't changed much since last month no towards the end I might have questions but right now in the middle of the year so Joy you taught me all those fancy words then now I have to see if I I actually the word augmentation wasn't that one of those words yes okay the augmentations that was in February is that right and is there evidence that would be next month we would see evidence.

Well you should see evidence on the gift fund I did see it on the gift fund and I saw it on the grant fund but I didn't see it on the general fund.

I didn't do any augmentations for the general fund.

Okay because there's why I do see that when we build the budget I set the budget at that time within the confines of what we've been allotted and so for example we just I just built the budget the general fund budget for uh fiscal 27 and I did move some money from one line item which is the when you see the Oregon object um columns when you see on the financials it says org object so um I've I call those line items or ledgers um and so what I do what I did was I moved I reduced some of these other these line items that I know we've come in under budget each year and put those towards our book budget so that we can meet our match requirement for the state in order to receive our collection development funding from the state right as our primary function correct yeah we should be but I mean we have to make sure that we're also not shorting ourselves with our heating bill for example so I was able to move some money around this year um to make sure that we're we're meeting our match with our books eventually I'm going to run out of that option um but for now I've been able to take from from one pile and direct it to another and I can always do that at the during the course of the year an augmentation if it were to relate to the general fund is for example if we needed I don't know let me look at some furniture and fixtures you'll see there on the second page of the general fund budget we don't have a budget so if I thought we were going to be buying some furniture this year that I wouldn't be able to fit under another line item like small furnishings I would uh do an augmentation to the general fund at this point to put a budget amount in there once there's funding once there's any kind of budget in a line item I can then do what's called a journal entry to move money around throughout the course of the year if I need to most of the time I don't need to because at the end of the day if I don't bust our bottom line the finance department will take care of it for me.

Like office supplies is it 1800 yeah I mean it's but but if you'll notice office supplies is um were we're over budget but if you look at operating supplies we're under budget okay so um and again if you look at the total we've used we're at 57% of our budget used we have plenty of money we're not gonna bust the budget right and so that's my primary focus is let's make sure that we're not busting the budget um but it makes it easier for us and finance if at the beginning of the if at the budget building time I have a better um that I'd be able to move that money around somewhat um the to align with what our needs are going to be um and so like this year I also increased um our software maintenance I think just so we're not so we're not teetering so close but at the end of the day this is really the look of the thing yeah and you know um it's real because as is what we need to worry about is making sure that that remaining budget is going to get us through to the end of the fiscal year which absolutely it will great all right well thank you I appreciate it any other questions I have a question about one of the community programs

Finance if at the beginning of the if at the budget building time I have a better um that I'd be able to move that money around somewhat um the to align with what our needs are gonna be um and so like this year I also increased um our software maintenance I think just so we're not so we're not teetering so close but at the end of the day this is really the look of the thing yeah and you know um it's real because as is what we need to worry about is making sure that that remaining budget is gonna get us through to the end of the fiscal year which absolutely it will great all right well thank you I appreciate it any other questions I have a question about one of the community programs okay if you don't mind yeah I mean you don't have to go through all of them with us we're okay we can read these great uh yeah we can read these but um the dog walking yeah the dog trainer do you do you actually people bring the dogs in no okay they thought that though so we did have to start putting on the um the flyers and media um this is training without the dogs so okay how do you have training without the dog because the people come in and they she sits down with them and tells them um like this is what you should do with your dog um and like without the dogs there it's not a let me train you and tell you what you need to do and then here you go do it immediately and it's it's it's not a like Caesar Milan thing where he's like okay let me train you in the moment with your animal it's a let me get you thinking about how to do these things so that you can then go off with your animal um in a more quiet area without all the other dogs um and do this training but but um Kendall does do training of that type as well so what yeah we did have there was some misconcommunication though some people came with dogs and I mean there was some misunderstanding and that was not the purpose of this particular training.

Right oh okay yeah oh I thought maybe that's what you were going out to the garden or something no that'd be interesting.

No I mean and I I can understand like having been a dog owner and having a dog that was very nervous and shy the advantage of having like learned this stuff and then going out with my dog on on her own.

So that's what it's really meant for is to give people the skills that they can then go and deploy with their animal um later.

Okay.

Honestly kind of people trainer workshops kind of yeah so that they can go home and use the skills on their right yeah without stressing their dog out yeah so um any other questions about the programs I'll I'm I'll skip back up to staffing.

The senior library assistant is tentatively filled um uh paperwork has not is not completely over the finish line so I can't divulge much more than that um the administrative clerk position actually has been filled by an internal candidate one of our shelvers who um Judy Roberts who um trustee mark knows said hey I know how to do that stuff and so she's moved up is going to be taking and that's another thing trusty liners that our library services manager has been doing is that that um or that front end data entry for our billing um and and um payments so Judy will take her that off of her that's gonna open up a shelving position we've already posted it we've already got candidates um coming through for the shelving position and Judy's been with us for as a shelver for oh quite a while years and she's great so um we know her she knows us so I mean that's definitely um uh super lucky because we were having a really hard time finding someone who wanted to do that work part-time with experience um and so that's where we're at with um staffing at this point we're dangerously close to being fully staffed but I'm gonna leave it at that because I jinx this every time um and so then there are our um programs the ex Libras newsletter is actually a nod to the past that was a newsletter that the former um director Sally Edwards used to put out for like 25 years so we've revived it at least for this let next um year of our 60th anniversary and um more to come about that where can we find it it's at the um front desk oh okay it's in paper it's on paper yeah it's a nod to the past that's wonderful yeah and we might digitize it um going forward if we decide to keep it but we wanted to we wanted to go beta because it was very beta in the past so um so anyways yeah and you can see um one of the coolest things I think we have coming up is the equinox presentation and telescope demonstration that's gonna happen with WNC.

They reached out to us so we're gaining traction when other when other organizations are reaching out to us to partner that's awesome.

And then of course, um, well, before I move on to the very last thing, um, we are going to have um we are not gonna have a third community workshop.

We are going to have a stakeholder workshop with our staff.

And um I will speak to Dr.

Steinman about that.

Um that's gonna be our last um bit for planning before the draft gets underway.

Are you pushing any more surveys out?

We are um and it's actually going to be a little bit different um uh than the original because it's internal.

It's for internal stakeholders and for staff.

And I'm gonna reach out to the board of supervisors and other people um within the city government to get their input and see where we land, and then the draft will be underway, and I expect we're gonna have that.

Um Dr.

Simon's very much uh very confident we're gonna stay on our schedule, so we'll be done by April May ish.

Um bit about how the February 21st meeting went.

Well, we had um we had one community member who is uh the community um and economic development director for the city, but a very much a library user.

Um and trustee Nichols was there.

Uh I was there, um Haley, our programming outreach coordinator was there, and then we had someone come in, another member of the public come in halfway through and contribute.

We had a really good conversation and we talked a lot, a lot.

He was able to clean, it's amazing what he's able to glean from these conversations.

So I mean, it was fruitful.

We do have the written surveys back from community members.

Um, and you know, it's not uncommon to not to have really low turnout for these things, which is why at this point we're just gonna call it and keep it moving.

Okay, so you're gonna use the surveys mostly for your and and the very little bit of public came in it.

That's going to kind of drive some of the yeah, but I mean like public submitted 300 on the 300 plus, yeah.

Yeah, and then we'll have more from the is that something we'll get to see the survey results?

Uh well, the sir, the survey results are what are the driving force behind the strategic plan.

I understand that, but will we get to see what they are in the raw form or will we only read 300 surveys?

You know, sometimes I don't know about that.

But I just I I am I I'm just curious whether that data is going to be well, he's gonna glean from that.

This is what, yeah, this is what he's not going to produce every um survey for review, but the strategic plan, there will be a big technical report that will include all of that.

Correct.

Okay, thank you.

Ms.

Holt, uh, could you remind me?

I know that you would just alluded to it, of our timeline.

Are we expecting to get the presentation from Dr.

Steinem in in April or in May or in June?

Um, I can't answer that right now because it really depends upon which time he has available versus what time we need to be spending at where it lands with my evaluation.

Oh, because that is very time contingent.

So yes, and and that is time contingent in April.

Um we're going, yeah.

Um well, I might as well discuss it now.

We are gonna be talking at in April about next steps for my evaluation and what that will entail and what we've done in the past and that kind of thing.

Yeah.

Okay, that's what I thought.

Okay, I understand where because we do a 360 degree review or evaluation that the staff participate in and give their feedback.

So they're so we have to kind of we we we're on this um we this preliminary step has to get has to um get going.

So there's time for the staff to respond to that, time for human resources to consolidate it, time for you all to see it, time for me to see it before the evaluation is completed by you or delivered by you all.

So it's time there's a certain level of amount of timing that needs to happen because this all has to be done before the end of June for my evaluation.

I likewise have to have my unclassified staff's evaluations completed, preferably by the beginning of June.

Okay.

So because they've got so many coming in at once that they're like the sooner you can get this done the better.

Understood.

Yeah.

And just so there's no surprise, we may be doing it a little bit differently this year, hopefully, than we have in the past.

Uh I can't say one way or the other.

I just said there's no surprise.

Yeah, great.

I was just trying to clarify about the agenda, but we have a report.

So that's why I said that.

Right.

Thank you for answering my question.

Oh, say then last but last but not least.

Um, yesterday was the unveiling of the new Phil and Phyllis and Phil Patton community room.

And we I think we had a great turnout.

We had we counted 38, uh, which was right around what the expectations were.

So we didn't have too many people.

We weren't we weren't in the digitorium like um sardines.

Um I you know, I think it was really well received.

It was so well deserved.

And and Phil did say to me, you know, Phyllis and I, they've done a lot throughout the years and been recognized for their their work and their their philanthropic efforts and whatnot um individually.

But he said this is the first time that they've ever had a uh a partnership recognition or a recognition of their partnership, and um you could tell it was really um it was really special to him, and I think it was special to all of us.

So very well um deserved.

It's hanging now because I already had it ready to go, but I had to get help hanging it because even though I'd already had it ready to go, I still couldn't hang it straight.

Um, but um and hats off to facilities because they made that happen.

We are going to be changing the signage above the door.

Um that's not ready yet, but also we want to be able to kind of ease people into that part of it because that kind of that sort of change just can trigger something in folks and make them not happy.

So um now that we've got the we've done the unveiling, we've got the plaque up, we've changed the signage, the the the signage that's like actually on the actual doors of the digitorium, then we'll hang the sign above that says the patent room.

So that's being made.

There's people who are unhappy with with the change.

People are always unhappy with change.

When we don't have any specific examples, do you um no?

I'm I'm anticipating.

Oh I'm trying to mitigate.

For example, I'm trying to mitigate people being upset.

For for example, when we changed where the whole the how the hold shelving was done, you know, we had that big tall and we moved it and used shelving that lowered it and actually made it less um made it more accessible and people don't have to bend down as far.

But people were still like, why did you do that?

Why is that changed?

What's going on?

Um, you know, people just by virtue of the fact that something looks different, have issues.

And so I'm I'm trying I try to anticipate that so that people don't go into shock.

And yeah, and that's why sometimes you have I've learned you have to kind of be reserved about what things you're gonna talk about coming down the pike because people will go into future shock and have complete meltdown and and it will just turn into this whole mountain out of a molehill thing.

So that's always a balance, right?

I think we've probably all experienced that.

So with folks just having an aversion to change and and it just upsetting them.

So um, yeah, that's do you uh I just wondered what your theme for the summer reading is summer learning, whatever it's called.

Do you have a theme?

We do.

I can't it I've Haley has literally told me 15 times, and it's a but it's great.

Um and I actually come up with it and it's just I'm I'm conflating it with the previous years, but it's um it's uh like travel through it's not travel through time, but it's uh gonna allow us to um have different um time frames and and eras that we'll be working with and that kind of thing, and it's it's in alignment with the with the 60th anniversary because we are kind of doing this walk through time um in Haley's gonna kill me that I cannot remember it for the life of me.

I very rarely have these moments where I'm like, uh, but I'm there right now.

I'll have to write it down.

Maybe I should get it tattooed.

It's travel through.

Oh, I can't remember, but okay.

You know, um, I just had one it's not aligned with the CSLP.

We we did our we do our own thing.

I just had one question.

I don't know, maybe it's out of order or whatever.

I did do you have a um a water batter filling station in the library.

We do.

Okay.

Yeah, the fountain the water fountain is a downstairs is a water bottle filling station, just like the one out here in this hallway.

Yeah, okay.

We've had it for a couple years.

I didn't remember.

Yeah.

Thank you.

Anybody have any questions about her report?

Well, thank you.

Thank you.

And yeah, I agree.

I think the the ceremony is beautiful, and that plaque was amazing.

I know it was beautiful.

Now it's all trustee, Marco making that happen.

So now we know when we need to have plaques made that we can where we can go that does a lovely plaque.

No doubt.

No, thank you.

It was it was wonderful.

And the cake was worth it.

I'm just saying the cake was worth it, okay?

You know what I'm talking about.

Well, I've I've never had a Costco cake that I didn't like.

So it was it was definitely, yeah.

You know, at the end, I think there are only five pieces left.

Uh-huh.

And I think the staff came in and took the last one.

Oh, yeah.

You know, and it it was it serves like, I mean, we we must have cut it into more than 40 pieces.

So, you know, some people had more than one.

Yep, it went well.

It was good.

Okay.

Item number six B trustee reports, announcements, and requests for information.

So if you have an announcement, you can make it now if you would like to see something on the agenda next week.

Let us know the the agenda a little busy with HR.

Oh, is each is HRS next time?

I've asked them to but I need to have some further conversation with our legal counsel before I leave before I commit to any of this.

I think that anything that I had in mind probably will be encompassed in what they're going to talk about.

Yeah, I'm still thinking about those policies that um were going to be updated, but we haven't seen them, but I'm sure they're uh I'm doing the very best that I can in the time that I have available in in relation to the development of the strategic plan.

Um, and and yes, I am working on those policies, and I do expect to have um uh some sort of um draft before the end of this fiscal year.

Didn't which is June.

And I you know my memory could be failing, but didn't we talk about actually like holding off on the policies till we drafted like the strategic plan because part of the policies like come from that?

Well, yeah, I mean they they can they definitely inform it.

Actually, I was told just the opposite when I brought that up.

Okay, so I told you maybe my that was my impression too.

Um, was that we were holding off, but trusting Linairs has expressed a few times that she wants to see those, so I will do my best to get a preliminary draft done of at least eliminating and changing the low-hanging fruit.

Yeah, I did commit to that.

That would be appreciated.

I appreciate that.

I will do my best.

Okay.

Um the library was formed in 1966.

And the sign out front of the library, the big plaque says uh 1971.

Correct.

That's when the building was built.

The building.

The library became Ormsby County Library, but it was not in this building in 1966, it was in the courthouse.

Right, right.

Okay.

It's just you know, people think 60th anniversary, and they're looking at the 1971 number.

Yeah, 60th anniversary of the library, not the building.

Yeah, right.

Well, thanks for that question, because I probably would ask that too myself.

I mean, it's when I noticed the the number, yeah.

I would have said that's math is a mathing for me.

I guess you need to read the whole plaque instead of just well, it is confusing.

I mean, but and but the reason I'm it prattles off of my lips is because it's actually pretty common in Nevada if you would if you look at the history of a lot of the libraries around here.

Um they started in courthouses.

Yeah, so it's not uncommon for the formation of the library to not coincide with the age of the building that said now.

Anything else?

Okay, sure's gonna sound like it.

So let's move on to item number seven, public comments.

I again don't see anybody here, so I think we can move on from that.

So, item number eight.

Um, why don't we just adjourn?

Thank you.

Thank you, everybody.

See you next month.