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Record of Proceedings

Thomas Balch Library Commission Meeting - May 14, 2026

Town Council & Commissions — Thursday, May 14, 2026
BodyLeesburg, Virginia
SessionTown Council & Commissions
DateThursday, May 14, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:03

So you are good to start whenever you'd like.

0:06

Okay, with the quorum press.

0:13

And commissions.

0:15

And our meeting tonight is being recorded.

0:18

Let me call the meeting order.

0:20

Oh, we do indeed have so remotely.

0:26

We do eight.

0:28

Okay.

0:29

So we have uh to vote on allowing um Scott Billy Meyer to attend virtually tonight.

0:39

Uh do I hear a motion?

0:41

A motion we allow I'll second.

0:43

Okay, it's been moved and approved and moved and seconded.

0:47

And all in favor, I so okay.

0:50

We're to approve for Scott to come online.

0:54

So uh okay.

0:56

The first uh item on on the uh agenda tonight is the approval of the minutes of the April 8th uh 2026 meeting.

1:08

Looks good to me.

1:10

Anybody have any questions or points or look pretty clear over me?

1:42

Okay, any motions out there?

1:44

I move we approve the minutes moved and seconded.

1:49

All in favor.

1:51

I see both you're on your completely on tonight.

2:01

So um, and that's I guess an order of business we include on there.

2:07

So I'll just do that now.

2:08

I'll take that.

2:10

Uh our new commissioner Chimlu.

2:12

Uh she's very familiar with this library.

2:15

She's spoken to the commission before.

2:18

And uh she is uh director of Loudham County Public Libraries, and we are pleased to have her.

2:25

I can't think of anybody who knows more about libraries in the county than Chinroo.

2:30

So I'm I'm really glad to have you here.

2:32

Thank you for agreeing to do this.

2:34

Thank you.

2:34

I'm here just to be clear, I'm here as a resident of Leaseburg.

2:38

Oh, I forgot as a library there.

2:41

I'm coming by not being.

2:43

Can't you want to introduce yourself?

2:45

Oh, yeah, I'm Candy Barry Kidonovin.

2:47

I was appointed by our now Vice Mayor, so Johnson.

2:52

I remember when you came, you got possibility information at a library, but um I I enjoy this commission a lot, mostly because of our side quests that you take while we're all that's my favorite card we have gone down some rabbit.

3:11

I love I love a commission rabbit hole.

3:15

So it's really it's a good way to keep your finger on the pulse of Leesburg for sure.

3:19

That's how I feel.

3:20

I feel like I have a little bit more time now, and I like to be a little bit involved in uh in the town.

3:26

Yeah, it's good.

3:27

Good, thank you.

3:28

Aaron?

3:28

Good Aaron Voorhees.

3:30

Um I've been this is my first year uh on the commission.

3:33

Well, second year, I guess actually, no, year two.

3:35

Yeah.

3:36

The commission.

3:36

Um you're having fun.

3:38

I know it does, it really does.

3:39

Yeah, but same thing.

3:40

I just impased with all the stuff that goes on.

3:43

So yeah, major mattina, this is my second term, so I think that's four years.

3:50

So it's about five years.

3:52

Yeah, yeah.

3:54

It's been it's been really great.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Library Operations█████████████████████████████████████████████59%
Historical Preservation█████████████17%
Procedural████████11%
Community Engagement██████8%
Engineering And Infrastructure██3%
Fiscal Sustainability██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Thomas Balch Library Commission Meeting - May 14, 2026

The Thomas Balch Library Commission held its regular meeting on May 14, 2026, to review April activities, receive reports from library staff and affiliated boards, and discuss upcoming programs including the Virginia 250 celebration. The meeting was held in person with one commissioner attending virtually.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved the minutes of the April 8, 2026 meeting.
  • Approved Commissioner Scott Billy Meyer to attend virtually.

Discussion Items

  • Introduction of New Commissioner: Chimlu, Director of Loudoun County Public Libraries, was welcomed as a new commissioner (resident appointee). Her term expires in November 2026; appointments by the mayor are two-year terms, while council member appointments are four-year.
  • Library Director's Report (Chimlu):
    • April attendance: over 4,000 visitors.
    • New exhibit: botanical world pop-up created on short notice for Flower and Garden Show.
    • Educational program: 180 fourth graders from Elaine Thompson Elementary School visited for field trips (triangle tour with Loudoun Museum and walking tour).
    • Staff training: visit to Library of Virginia; discussion with Virginia Newspaper Project to digitize more Loudoun papers.
    • Volunteer appreciation gathering: 25 volunteers attended.
    • Collections: 258 local holdings records added; gift of Edgar Thornton papers (WWI soldier).
    • New sculpture in the garden (Leesburg Town Heart with Heart project).
    • Staffing: still need a Saturday worker; using flex staff from town hall reception.
    • Off-site storage: space rented from FAA facility; materials being moved for processing.
    • Building maintenance: ceiling repaired in Clark room; addressing cracking plaster; painting scheduled for May.
  • Friends of the Library Report:
    • Book sale held April (Flower & Garden weekend) made $375. 13 boxes of leftovers will be discarded.
    • Friends board meeting on May 26; annual fundraiser moved from June to November.
  • Foundation Board Report:
    • Taxes being finalized; budget for investment income being created with town.
    • Pennsylvania trust funds ($200,000) now invested; additional bequest of ~$60,000 and donation of $12,000 received.
    • Foundation passed $1 million milestone.
  • Old and Continuing Business:
    • St. James Cemetery: exhibit at Flower & Garden show; ground-penetrating radar found ~400 graves (only ~100 marked); $10,000 left for garden work. Preservation trust pending state legislature.
    • Virginia 250 Events: Revolution on Film program (Book of Negroes) had 15 attendees and engaged discussion. Upcoming: Outlander talk (May), Hessian presentation on YouTube (Travis Shaw).
    • July 4th plans: courthouse exhibit, reading of Declaration of Independence, bell tolling at 2:50 p.m. (13 tolls). Tree planted at Idley. Mobile museum from Virginia Museum of Fine Arts will be present.
    • Fall speaker series being planned.
    • Boards and Commissions meeting: well attended; cross-communication with Parks and Rec, Performing Arts, and Technology commissions.
  • New Business – Program Planning:
    • Discussion on reviving a literary festival (panels on historical fiction/nonfiction). Previous event had low attendance. Exploring committee formation and outreach to bookstores (Birch Tree) and poet groups. Possible winter timing.
    • Concern expressed about Friends of the Library: aging membership, daytime meetings (10 a.m. weekdays) difficult for younger generations. Efforts to involve new people have had limited success.

Key Outcomes

  • Minutes of April 8, 2026 approved.
  • Scott Meyer approved for virtual attendance.
  • Library director to continue off-site storage setup and processing.
  • Foundation board to finalize budget and fund disbursement mechanics with town.
  • Next meeting scheduled for August 2026 (not July, as initially confused; also no meeting in December per usual schedule).
  • No formal votes taken on other items; plans and reports were received for discussion.

Meeting Transcript

So you are good to start whenever you'd like. Okay, with the quorum press. And commissions. And our meeting tonight is being recorded. Let me call the meeting order. Oh, we do indeed have so remotely. We do eight. Okay. So we have uh to vote on allowing um Scott Billy Meyer to attend virtually tonight. Uh do I hear a motion? A motion we allow I'll second. Okay, it's been moved and approved and moved and seconded. And all in favor, I so okay. We're to approve for Scott to come online. So uh okay. The first uh item on on the uh agenda tonight is the approval of the minutes of the April 8th uh 2026 meeting. Looks good to me. Anybody have any questions or points or look pretty clear over me? Okay, any motions out there? I move we approve the minutes moved and seconded. All in favor. I see both you're on your completely on tonight. So um, and that's I guess an order of business we include on there. So I'll just do that now. I'll take that. Uh our new commissioner Chimlu. Uh she's very familiar with this library. She's spoken to the commission before. And uh she is uh director of Loudham County Public Libraries, and we are pleased to have her. I can't think of anybody who knows more about libraries in the county than Chinroo. So I'm I'm really glad to have you here. Thank you for agreeing to do this. Thank you. I'm here just to be clear, I'm here as a resident of Leaseburg. Oh, I forgot as a library there. I'm coming by not being. Can't you want to introduce yourself? Oh, yeah, I'm Candy Barry Kidonovin. I was appointed by our now Vice Mayor, so Johnson. I remember when you came, you got possibility information at a library, but um I I enjoy this commission a lot, mostly because of our side quests that you take while we're all that's my favorite card we have gone down some rabbit. I love I love a commission rabbit hole. So it's really it's a good way to keep your finger on the pulse of Leesburg for sure. That's how I feel. I feel like I have a little bit more time now, and I like to be a little bit involved in uh in the town. Yeah, it's good. Good, thank you. Aaron? Good Aaron Voorhees. Um I've been this is my first year uh on the commission. Well, second year, I guess actually, no, year two.

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