OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Library Board Meeting - August 26, 2026

Boards and Commissions — Wednesday, August 26, 2026
BodyRochester, Minnesota
SessionBoards and Commissions
DateWednesday, August 26, 2026
StatusNEW · FILED
Video Record
0:00 / 20:57

Transcript — Verbatim
0:01

All right.

0:03

And let's call the library board meeting to order.

0:07

We can attend a meeting here in person on the second floor meeting room in the library.

0:11

And there will be a recording available after the meeting on the city's website.

0:15

Are there any way here to comment during the public comment session?

0:21

There's not a period.

0:23

All right.

0:24

In that case, we'll call the meeting to order and take the role, Ryan.

0:30

Present.

0:31

Here.

0:32

Emily?

0:32

Yeah.

0:33

Very bad.

0:34

Karen?

0:35

Laura?

0:36

Here.

0:36

Steve.

0:38

All right.

0:40

Can I have a motion to approve the agenda as promoted?

0:43

So moved.

0:44

Second.

0:44

Thank you.

0:45

Any discussion?

0:47

All in favor.

0:48

Aye.

0:49

Any opposed.

0:50

Motion passes.

0:52

Right.

0:53

Library Foundation.

0:55

Hi.

0:56

I'm Brandon Product.

0:57

I'm the executive director of the Library Foundation.

0:59

And here's more updates.

1:01

I wouldn't feel bad if you wrote down 32auctions.com slash library26 on your notebooks and that you could look at the items that will have up to forbidden.

1:13

And you know, even looking at the items helps us because it gives us more page views.

1:18

But if we win something, that's cool too.

1:22

So I have a list of items that I would like to point out.

1:25

Thank you.

1:26

Um Laura for the back.

1:31

And we're still looking for more items.

1:33

So if you have anybody that has an experience or an item that they'd like to donate, donate, please have them reach out to me.

1:51

So if you are the founders or want an email, I'll I'll probably just shoot you an email if you don't want to do anything, you don't have to.

2:00

But um that's helpful too.

2:02

Uh we filed our Secretary of State beautiful.

2:05

Um and I wanted to share a little steward stewardship story.

2:09

Um, you know, early in the year we got uh uh a gift from Judith Harris and um John Harris.

2:16

And um we wrote uh to his nephew their nephew um who was the executor and just offered them a book plate because we don't have recognition line up yet for big gifts.

2:30

And so he was really tickled that we picked out books.

2:33

I picked a nature book out for John and um uh a romance for Judith because she likes romances.

2:41

And um, so they will be added to our book a year for the next 10 years and get a nameplate for both.

2:48

So I think we'd scroll down just a little bit more.

2:51

Um, and then on our last uh newsletter um we sent up to people that participated, but um uh Amy Lorenz at the Not Mail.

3:02

Um she gave us a donation for our auction last year.

3:05

If you skim down a little bit further, she actually posted on Facebook the whole article um saying that it was the best day ever.

3:13

She got this mail, and you know, she likes supporting the library, and she got you know more engagement that way.

3:19

So that was really uh a nice way for us to get a little more attention.

3:23

So everybody that has gone to her page first of all and business sense is also it will avail around the library.

3:33

Anyone have any questions?

3:35

I like that William Kent Kruger um dinner up for bid.

3:40

Yeah, I'm excited about that.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Library Funding█████████████████████████████████████████████73%
Technology and Innovation████████████19%
Public Engagement█████8%
Summary of Proceedings

Library Board Meeting - August 26, 2026

Note: The agenda for this meeting was dated August 19, 2026. The meeting recording and this summary follow the date provided in the meeting instructions (August 26, 2026).

The Rochester Library Board met on August 26, 2026, at 4:30 p.m. in the Library's Second Floor Meeting Room. The meeting included reports from the Library Foundation, Friends of the Library, SELCO, the Executive Committee, and an update on Olmsted County funding. The board approved the consent calendar and heard a question-and-answer period on library operations.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No members of the public offered comments during the public comment period.

Consent Calendar

  • The board unanimously approved the consent calendar, which included:
    • Approval of the July 15, 2026 meeting minutes.
    • Approval of accounts payable for August 13, 2026 in the amount of $295,595.83.
    • Acceptance of July 2026 monthly reports.
    • Acceptance of contracts signed by the Library Director.
    • During discussion, the board asked about two items: the LinkedIn Learning contract (a multi-year contract at about $1,900 annually, with average monthly usage of 540 users) and a $3,000 contract for speaker Rochelle Yunan, who will lead an all-staff training day on the Reset Method for stress management and mindfulness.

Library Foundation Report

  • Foundation Executive Director Brenda Kardock reported on upcoming fundraising, including the annual auction at 32auctions.com/library26. She highlighted a stewardship story about a gift from Judith and John Harris, which will fund a "book a year" program for 10 years with nameplates. She also noted increased community engagement after donor Amy Lorenz shared a newsletter post on social media. A flagship auction item will be a dinner for four with author William Kent Kruger, sponsored by Blue Duck Restaurant.

Friends of the Library Report

  • Friends Board President Val Kaliszewski reported that several members attended the United for Libraries Friends of the Library Day, which affirmed their practices are consistent with national recommendations. An off-site sale at the History Center with Rochester Reeds raised funds and awareness for the library's bookstore. The Friends fully funded a new study pod located near the board room. The pod seats up to four people, is soundproof, and can be reserved through the reference desk, with plans for online booking.

Southeastern Libraries Cooperating (SELCO) Update

  • A board member reported on SELCO activities: the organization is hiring a staff member to manage the shared Integrated Library System (ILS); interviews were ongoing. An open comment period on the federal E-Rate program is open at saveourerate.com; the program provides about $12 million annually to Minnesota schools and libraries, with Rochester Public Library receiving approximately $8,600. SELCO completed a delivery study recommending RFID tagging on all shared materials (requiring significant funding), and adjustments to three daily delivery routes to save time and mileage.

Executive Committee Update

  • The Executive Committee discussed the draft plan for an upcoming board retreat. They recommended replacing the term “stakeholder” with “community member,” “resident,” or “interested party” due to its colonialist connotations, though they noted stakeholders may still be used when presenting to the City Council. The committee also worked on creating elevator speeches tailored to different audiences. This work will continue at the September meeting.

County Funding Update

  • The Library Director reported on a presentation to the Olmsted County Board during their budget cycle. The library requested an additional $129,000+ for digital access and bookmobile services for rural county residents. Without this funding, the library would have to cut or reduce digital access and bookmobile stops outside Rochester city limits. The County Board has approved the distribution method for a 1% allocation, but the funding for this specific request remains under consideration. The Director noted comparable funding challenges in Winona County (funding maintained) and Hennepin County (proposed 7% hour reduction) and Saint Paul (proposed library closure).

Teen Library Council

  • The library received 22 applications for the Teen Library Council. The youth school team is reviewing applications from Rochester high schools and homeschooled students. Final details on payment are being worked out, and selected members will serve a full year (through August 2027). They will be trained on engagement and board processes, will bring peer feedback to meetings, and will provide a report to the board.

Key Outcomes

  • The board unanimously approved the consent calendar and the agenda as presented.
  • All reports were received and filed.
  • The board will continue discussions on the county funding request and the use of inclusive language in communications.
  • The next meeting is scheduled for September (date not specified), with a board retreat also planned.

Meeting Transcript

All right. And let's call the library board meeting to order. We can attend a meeting here in person on the second floor meeting room in the library. And there will be a recording available after the meeting on the city's website. Are there any way here to comment during the public comment session? There's not a period. All right. In that case, we'll call the meeting to order and take the role, Ryan. Present. Here. Emily? Yeah. Very bad. Karen? Laura? Here. Steve. All right. Can I have a motion to approve the agenda as promoted? So moved. Second. Thank you. Any discussion? All in favor. Aye. Any opposed. Motion passes. Right. Library Foundation. Hi. I'm Brandon Product. I'm the executive director of the Library Foundation. And here's more updates. I wouldn't feel bad if you wrote down 32auctions.com slash library26 on your notebooks and that you could look at the items that will have up to forbidden. And you know, even looking at the items helps us because it gives us more page views. But if we win something, that's cool too. So I have a list of items that I would like to point out. Thank you. Um Laura for the back. And we're still looking for more items. So if you have anybody that has an experience or an item that they'd like to donate, donate, please have them reach out to me. So if you are the founders or want an email, I'll I'll probably just shoot you an email if you don't want to do anything, you don't have to. But um that's helpful too. Uh we filed our Secretary of State beautiful. Um and I wanted to share a little steward stewardship story. Um, you know, early in the year we got uh uh a gift from Judith Harris and um John Harris. And um we wrote uh to his nephew their nephew um who was the executor and just offered them a book plate because we don't have recognition line up yet for big gifts. And so he was really tickled that we picked out books. I picked a nature book out for John and um uh a romance for Judith because she likes romances. And um, so they will be added to our book a year for the next 10 years and get a nameplate for both.

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