Indianapolis Marion County Board of Trustees Meeting – May 20, 2025
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Indianapolis Marion County Board of Trustees Meeting – May 20, 2025
The Indianapolis Marion County Board of Trustees held its regular monthly meeting on May 20, 2025 at the newly renovated Nora Branch Library. The meeting featured presentations on the branch renovation, IT security operations, financial status, foundation support, and early indicators from the new strategic plan. All votes were unanimous.
Nora Branch Library Report
Branch Manager Josh Crane presented an overview of the Nora Branch, which reopened on March 15, 2025 after a 16-month renovation. The renovation added a hearing loop system, universal changing station (in partnership with Tangram Disability Services), drive-up book drop, and updated study rooms (reserved 235 times in April). The branch serves a population of 50,770, with 45% people of color, 11% with disabilities, and nearly 1 in 8 speaking a language other than English. In April 2025, Nora had 8,988 active cardholders, 8,625 patron visits, 20,692 physical checkouts, and 912 public computer sessions. The reopening celebration on May 3 drew 579 attendees. Crane outlined three goals for the remainder of 2025: re-introduce the branch to the community, right-size the collection based on usage data, and balance community demand with staff capacity.
Board members praised the renovation and asked about outreach strategies (Crane emphasized reconnecting with partners and managing expectations) and usage by patrons from nearby Carmel (Crane confirmed daily out-of-county visitors).
Information Technology Operations Report
D Green, Manager and Business System Analyst, reported on the Business Systems and Messaging department. Key statistics for Q1 2025: 171,000 public PC sessions, 150,000 public print jobs, and 1,319 help desk tickets (about 19 per day). Security efforts blocked 26,000 malicious login attempts and 47,000 malicious emails/spam before reaching inboxes, resulting in only two email security tickets. The team continues to homogenize the operating environment for consistent performance and security. A knowledge base is available for self-service, and a chatbot using AI has been considered but not yet implemented due to workload.
Board members commended the team and inquired about future AI integration; D Green noted it would require outsourcing or dedicated development time.
Finance Committee Report
Dr. White (chair), Lilita, and Mary presented financials through April 2025 (33% of the budget year). Revenue: $1.7 million received (6% of budget, as property taxes arrive in May/June). Fines, fees, and charges were near or above the 33% benchmark. Interest income was over $100,000, with Huston Fund yield at 4.43% and Trusting End at 4.29%. Expenditures: 28% of budget spent (favorable vs. 33% calendar). Personal services and benefits were the largest category ($12.1M year-to-date). The treasurer’s report was approved unanimously.
Library Foundation Update
President Bieterman reported that the foundation provided over $255,000 to the library this month, supporting summer reading programs, special collections, and discretionary funds for branches. A ceramic tile donor recognition program is ongoing at several branches (Pike sale through May 31, Nora through June 30). Top corporate donors were listed. Board member Dr. Classio asked for more detail on the tile program; the president explained tiles are placed at branches to commemorate donors.
CEO Report (Gregory Hill)
CEO Hill presented resolution 21-2025 (financial, personnel, travel matters), which was approved unanimously. He then gave a monthly report: On a typical day in April 2025, the library had 13,526 physical checkouts, 82 new cardholders, 26 programs with 439 attendees, and 7,119 visitors (4% increase from March). Top branches: Glendale, Fort Bend, Michigan Road, Irvington. Youth programs increased 7% in number and 13% in participation; adult programs decreased. Staff recognition awards were announced.
Annual report highlights for 2024: 289,375 cardholders, 8.7 million total circulation, 2.3 million visitors, 8,125 programs with 158,030 attendees. Summer reading program had 26,140 participants reading 21 million minutes. New collections include Playaways (preloaded audiobooks) and Quick Reads. The Central Engraving Project Phase II was completed, honoring 12 diverse authors with plaques in the Central Library atrium.
Chief Communications Officer Mary Barr introduced the “We Love Our Library” initiative, providing tools and messages for staff to engage advocates. A website (ndpl.org/love) offers 20 ways to support the library, and bookmarks are placed in holds. Upcoming events: Summer Reading kickoff May 31, café opening June 9, and Book Fest/Juneteenth celebration June 14.
Board members praised the CEO and staff, with special commendation for early literacy efforts and the "We Love Our Library" campaign.
Strategic Plan Update
Mary McKenzie presented the first quarterly report on the 2025 strategic plan, focusing on three priorities: Well-being, Belonging, and Learning. The report uses key performance indicators (KPIs) with visual symbols (dark blue upward arrow for >5% positive change, light blue line for steady, orange downward arrow for <5% negative or concerning). For Belonging, people count per capita showed a slight negative compared to 2024 (attributed to technology overcounting correction); web traffic per capita increased. For Learning, circulation per active cardholder showed a slight long-term decline but short-term improvement; e-resource usage saw strong growth. Program surveys showed 95% positive response for well-being, 93% for belonging, and similarly high for learning. Detailed data for the Reading & Writing goal included expanded world language collection metrics.
The board appreciated the new format and looked forward to future reports. The physical strategic plan document is expected by the next meeting.
Key Outcomes
- Approved minutes of the regular meeting on April 28, 2025 (unanimous).
- Approved minutes of the executive session on May 8, 2025 (unanimous).
- Accepted the treasurer’s report for April 2025 (unanimous).
- Approved Resolution 21-2025 regarding financial, personnel, and travel matters (unanimous).
- No public comments were made.
- The next board meeting is scheduled for June 23, 2025 at the Pike Branch Library.
Meeting Transcript
There we go. All right. Good evening, everyone. Welcome to the May 2025 meeting of the Indianapolis Marion County Board of Trustees. Can we have a call of the role? Here. Here. Dr. Classio. Present. Dr. Payne. Here. And Dr. White. Here. We do have a cloud. Thank you very much. All right. We're happy to be hosted tonight at the beautifully renovated Nora Branch. Doesn't it look fantastic? Yes. My name's Ray Beterman. I have the honor of serving as president of the Board of Trustees. Thank you for joining us this evening. Just two weeks ago, we were here for the grand reopening celebration of this very branch. In a moment, you'll hear from the Nora branch manager, Mr. Josh Crane. But I wanted to take a moment and congratulate the entire Nora team on a wonderful event. The branch looks better than ever and is more ready to welcome readers for the upcoming summer reading program. Woohoo! It's hard to believe, but in just 12 days, uh, we will launch the annual summer reading program, one of the library's most cherished traditions, also one of the most exciting times in the Bieterman family, um, because of all the uh awards that are earned throughout the summer for reading. So my kids uh asked about it three times already this week, and it's only Monday. So there you go. Uh I know my fellow board members are already checking out the uh their own summer reading stacks. Uh the summer reading uh officially kicks off on Saturday, May 31st. Uh and every year it brings together readers of all ages, fostering literacy, curiosity, and a lifelong love of learning. A special thank you to our dedicated library staff for the energy, creativity, and planning they've already put into this year's program, especially our public services and program development teams. They've prepared a robust lineup of events, activities, and book lists for children, teen, and adults alike. I've learned from our programming team that when children see others reading, parents, grandparents, older siblings, and educators, it reinforces strong reading habits that can last a lifetime. Each of us has had a role to play in championing this year's summer reading, whether it's spreading the word, attending events, encouraging others to participate, or modeling good habits by reading with your family. Um I know personally, some of my fondest memories were summer reading with my family uh growing up in the suburbs of Chicago. We had a similar summer reading program, and uh, and it was it was really uh one of the most special times um that I shared with my family. So hopefully uh we can all do that as well. Uh registration's already open and full details are available at the library's website, ndpl.org. Now I'd like to invite the Nora branch manager, Mr. Josh Crane, to come forward. Okay, uh thank you. Okay, um, President Bieterman, members of the Assembled Library Board, welcome to Nora Branch Library. My name is Josh Crane, and after spending five years downtown as the manager of East Washington Street, I have been the branch manager here at Nora since November of 2024.
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