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Record of Proceedings

Library Board Meeting – July 6, 2026: Officer Elections, Reports, and Future Plans

County Council & Boards — Monday, July 6, 2026
BodyLos Alamos County, New Mexico
SessionCounty Council & Boards
DateMonday, July 6, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 38:07

Original source
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0:02

Okay.

0:02

It's five ready.

0:04

Let's call this meeting to order.

0:06

We do have a quorum.

0:09

We have Jason, Katie and Ryan and myself in the room.

0:16

Michelle at this point.

0:18

Is there any public online, Gwen?

0:20

There's not.

0:21

Okay.

0:23

So the next item is minutes for now June 1st meeting.

0:30

Do we have a motion to approve the leads?

0:33

I move that we I move that we approve the minutes.

0:37

I want to second.

0:39

Everyone in favor.

0:45

Okay.

0:46

The second item is our election of offices.

0:50

And that's because even though I have until the end of August as uh chair, this is actually our last meeting since we don't have a meeting in August scheduled.

1:03

So we're going to get our chair and vice chair sorted.

1:08

So is there any questions that people have before we go on to nominating people for the roles?

1:19

I have a question.

1:20

Yeah.

1:21

As I understand your current vice chair is running for elected office.

1:26

And assuming you were to be an elected official, would that take you off the board?

1:32

I I would have to step down, yes.

1:35

And then I also have a question because I think my I had to reapply because mine was a short.

1:41

Yes.

1:41

Okay.

1:42

So I put that application in, but I don't have not heard back.

1:46

So can I be, I don't know how that works.

1:50

You are you are still a um until August right.

1:54

Right.

1:55

Yeah.

1:55

And then I have to, okay, because it was a shortened.

1:57

Okay.

1:58

Okay.

2:00

I guess I have another question.

2:03

Do we have a tentative replacement for Beth?

2:07

That is that is what's up for discussion.

2:09

So the way that the way that it works is that someone will nominate uh a member of the board for chair, and then we need to somebody has to second that.

2:20

Um well the person has to accept it, and then and then uh somebody will second second that motion, and then that person will become chair for next year.

2:29

Um that's how that worked.

2:31

So Juicen, you are still vice chair, so and you can continue in that role um as long as you one you're not elected as chair of the library board or as a county council council member and the fall, I guess when that happens.

2:46

So I have another question.

2:48

Yeah.

2:51

What are the what is the role of the chair and the vice chair responsibilities?

2:57

Um a lot of it is leading the meetings, obviously, and in the usually the week or so before the meeting when we reach out with a draft of the agenda, and I take a look and say, usually that looks great.

3:10

That's great with it.

3:11

Or if I have a note of anything that we had um discussed that needs to be on them.

3:17

Um that's one of the main things.

3:19

And sort of just taking the lead on making sure we're keeping up with some of our outreach that we try to do.

3:26

Do we have library board members volunteering to attend um different events where staff are um uh I think they're the main things when what have I missed?

3:37

Probably the work plan.

3:38

Oh yes, of course, yeah.

3:39

So taking the lead on things like the work plan.

3:42

Yeah.

3:43

And then what is the role of the vice chair?

3:45

How's that support?

3:47

So if for example I wasn't able to attend a meeting, then the vice chair would spend.

3:53

That's one of the main things.

3:57

Oh, okay.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Community Engagement████████████████████████████████32%
Procedural██████████████████18%
Personnel Matters████████████████16%
Arts And Culture████████8%
Public Engagement███████7%
Engineering And Infrastructure██████6%
Education And Outreach██████6%
Historic Preservation████4%
Technology and Innovation███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Library Board Meeting Summary

Date: July 6, 2026
Time: 5:30 PM – 6:08 PM
Location: Municipal Building Room 110 (in person with Zoom option)

The Los Alamos County Library Board met to approve previous minutes, elect new officers, receive reports from the Chair, Friends group, and Library Manager, and discuss upcoming outreach events, a community survey, a construction delay, and ideas for library improvements. No public comments were received.

Consent Calendar

  • Minutes Approval: The Board unanimously approved the minutes from the June 1, 2026 meeting. Motion by Ryan Parker, seconded by Katy Jones-Gulsby.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public comments were offered.

Discussion Items

  • Election of Officers: Chair Beth Stelle explained that because the Board does not meet in August, officers needed to be selected now. After discussion of chair and vice-chair responsibilities, Ryan Parker was nominated and elected as the new Chair. Jason Chappel will continue as Vice-Chair. The election becomes effective at the September meeting.
  • Board Member Terms & Recruitment: Three seats (Beth Stelle, Michele Altherr, Katy Jones-Gulsby) are expiring at the end of August. Stelle is term‑limited; Altherr and Jones‑Gulsby have applied for reappointment. The Board will conduct interviews in August and seeks a third candidate. Stelle noted she cannot reapply for two years due to term limits.
  • Chair's Report – Outreach: Stelle reported on volunteer opportunities: a July 10 summer concert (where Stelle and Parker will assist to promote the Community Assessment Survey), and Atomicon on August 29 (multiple volunteer slots available). Members were encouraged to help.
  • Boards & Commission Luncheon Report: Member Altherr (arriving late) summarized the May luncheon, noting interesting discussions on lighting and broadband. The luncheon occurs roughly quarterly; any board member may attend.
  • Friends of the Library Liaison Report: Altherr provided a detailed update:
    • The Friends group has a $330,000 endowment and considers using interest/dividends rather than reinvesting.
    • They awarded $17,500 in scholarships, including the Edinger Scholarship ($3,500, renewable for one year). Applicants write an essay about a book.
    • The online bookstore now accepts Venmo and PayPal; a QR code will be placed at the register.
    • The bookstore manager addressed patron concerns about fewer free books, clarifying that unsold books are donated or sent to Earthbooks.com.
    • The Friends are revising their bylaws, with a subcommittee working toward a board limit of 12 members.
  • Library Manager's Report (Gwen Kalavaza):
    • Circulation: June print: 22,841; digital: 9,758 (30% of total 32,599).
    • Programs: 74 programs with 1,864 attendees; highlights include Creative Studio sessions, “Read with a Community Member” at White Rock.
    • Upcoming Author Events: Sage Vogel (July 18) and Jason DeLeon (July 25, at Fuller Lodge, reservations required).
    • Community Assessment Survey: 172 responses as of the meeting; goal to double that. Open through July; results expected at September meeting.
    • EV Charging Station at Mesa: Concrete work had to be redone because it did not meet ADA standards. The parking lot road near the book drop will remain closed for at least another one to two weeks. Highest priority is reopening the book drop.
    • Software Migration: Training scheduled for after Labor Day; go‑live on September 3.
    • Facebook Comments: Kalavaza shared mixed feedback: positive comments about the Summer Reading Program and a complaint about a Pride display table near the front. The library follows a set schedule for heritage celebrations.
  • Council Liaison: Councilor Reagor was not present; no questions or answers.
  • Information Items: No meeting in August; next meeting is September 14 (second Monday) at the Municipal Building.
  • Board Member Observations: Ryan Parker recounted visiting the Helsinki Central Library (Oodi), noting its large overhang for outdoor events, acoustic design that separates quiet and children’s areas, and a makerspace with sewing machines and 3D printers. The discussion touched on sound studies and maker spaces. Member Katy Jones-Gulsby (also an archivist) asked about digitizing Los Alamos newspapers for online access (e.g., via Newspapers.com) to aid remote researchers. Kalavaza expressed interest in exploring that partnership.

Key Outcomes

  • Elections: Ryan Parker elected Chair (effective September); Jason Chappel continues as Vice-Chair.
  • Next Steps:
    • Board members will promote the Community Assessment Survey.
    • Kalavaza will coordinate interview times for board candidates in August.
    • Parker and Stelle will represent the board at the July 10 summer concert.
    • The EV charging station contractor will correct the ADA non‑compliant concrete; the road near the book drop remains closed.
    • Kalavaza will follow up on the digital newspaper access inquiry.
  • Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 6:08 PM.

Meeting Transcript

Okay. It's five ready. Let's call this meeting to order. We do have a quorum. We have Jason, Katie and Ryan and myself in the room. Michelle at this point. Is there any public online, Gwen? There's not. Okay. So the next item is minutes for now June 1st meeting. Do we have a motion to approve the leads? I move that we I move that we approve the minutes. I want to second. Everyone in favor. Okay. The second item is our election of offices. And that's because even though I have until the end of August as uh chair, this is actually our last meeting since we don't have a meeting in August scheduled. So we're going to get our chair and vice chair sorted. So is there any questions that people have before we go on to nominating people for the roles? I have a question. Yeah. As I understand your current vice chair is running for elected office. And assuming you were to be an elected official, would that take you off the board? I I would have to step down, yes. And then I also have a question because I think my I had to reapply because mine was a short. Yes. Okay. So I put that application in, but I don't have not heard back. So can I be, I don't know how that works. You are you are still a um until August right. Right. Yeah. And then I have to, okay, because it was a shortened. Okay. Okay. I guess I have another question. Do we have a tentative replacement for Beth? That is that is what's up for discussion. So the way that the way that it works is that someone will nominate uh a member of the board for chair, and then we need to somebody has to second that. Um well the person has to accept it, and then and then uh somebody will second second that motion, and then that person will become chair for next year. Um that's how that worked. So Juicen, you are still vice chair, so and you can continue in that role um as long as you one you're not elected as chair of the library board or as a county council council member and the fall, I guess when that happens. So I have another question. Yeah. What are the what is the role of the chair and the vice chair responsibilities? Um a lot of it is leading the meetings, obviously, and in the usually the week or so before the meeting when we reach out with a draft of the agenda, and I take a look and say, usually that looks great. That's great with it. Or if I have a note of anything that we had um discussed that needs to be on them. Um that's one of the main things. And sort of just taking the lead on making sure we're keeping up with some of our outreach that we try to do.

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