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Record of Proceedings

Saint Paul Library Board Meeting - August 5, 2026: Mellon Grant Approval, Staff Reports, and Library Updates

Budget Committee — Wednesday, August 5, 2026
BodySt Paul, Minnesota
SessionBudget Committee
DateWednesday, August 5, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 8:34
Transcript — Verbatim
0:02

Oohie.

0:03

Here.

0:04

Colvin.

0:05

Here.

0:06

Johnson.

0:08

Jim.

0:11

Naker.

0:13

Yang.

0:14

Here.

0:15

Chair Joel.

0:16

Here.

0:17

For present, three absent, three being excused.

0:22

The first item on the agenda is the approval of minutes, minutes 20- or 26-23 library board minutes for 7 or July 8th of 2026.

0:32

Great.

0:34

I uh will take a motion from Councilmember Coleman to approve the minutes.

0:38

Is there any discussion?

0:43

Seeing none, all those in favor say aye.

0:45

Aye.

0:46

All those opposed.

0:49

Five in favor, zero opposed.

0:51

The minutes are adopted.

0:53

I'm sorry.

0:54

We had two people coming.

0:56

Six and favor.

0:57

I'm so sorry.

0:58

Six in favor, zero opposed.

1:00

The minutes are adopted.

1:03

The next item on the agenda is the staff report.

1:06

Staff report 26-154, newcomer services.

1:10

Um and this item uh we actually will be laying over to August 7th.

1:14

Uh the presenter uh ended up not being available to present today, so I'd like to take a motion.

1:22

Um are you getting feedback in here?

1:24

Oh yeah.

1:25

Okay.

1:26

Okay, hopefully that will get fixed.

1:28

Um so I'd like to take a motion from uh council vice president Yang to lay the staff report over to August 7th.

1:35

All those in favor oh my god, why am I saying August?

1:39

October 7th.

1:40

Thank you, Director Herman.

1:41

To lay this over to October 7th.

1:43

All those in favor say aye.

1:44

Aye aye.

1:44

Aye.

1:45

All those opposed.

1:47

Six in favor, zero opposed.

1:49

The staff report has been laid over to October 7th.

1:53

The next staff report on the agenda is staff report 26-156.

1:57

Strengthening libraries as spaces of the wrong project.

2:01

Great.

2:01

I'd like to welcome welcome Rebecca Ryan to present uh this topic uh for the Mellon grants.

2:08

Thank you.

2:08

Thanks, Library Board Chair Justin, Council members.

2:11

Um, this will be really brief.

2:12

Uh you will hear maybe some specific activities um from Adriana when she's back in October.

2:18

Uh this relates to our upcoming agenda item about um the Mellon grant.

2:23

I'm really happy to uh say that the Friends of the Library was granted a million dollars by the Mellon Foundation this summer for three years.

2:31

Um they've also granted a similar amount for a similar timeline to Hennepin County Library.

2:37

And um, you know, I really appreciate my uh colleagues across the river.

2:43

And excuse me, I'm excited for more of our staff to develop some collaborative relationships between our library systems.

2:51

Uh these are our pretty broad goals of the grant, as you can see.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
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Summary of Proceedings

Saint Paul Library Board Meeting - August 5, 2026

The Saint Paul Library Board met on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, at 1:00 PM in Council Chambers. Six members were present (Board Members Noecker, Yang, Bowie, Johnson, Jost, and Coleman), with one absent (Board Member Kim). The meeting covered approval of previous minutes, a staff report on newcomer services that was laid over, a presentation on a $1 million Mellon Foundation grant, and adoption of a resolution amending the library's spending plan by $920,000 to accept those grant funds.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes (Min 26-23): The minutes from the July 8, 2026 Library Board meeting were approved unanimously (6-0).

Discussion Items

  • Staff Report 26-154 – Newcomer Services: This item was laid over to the October 7, 2026 meeting because the presenter was unavailable. The motion to lay over passed 6-0.
  • Staff Report 26-156 – Strengthening Libraries as Spaces of Belonging Project: Rebecca Ryan presented an overview of a three-year, $1 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation awarded to the Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library. The grant aims to build trust in public institutions, address learning and information needs, and provide safe, welcoming spaces. Specific activities include hiring a Spanish-speaking community specialist and a specialist for the Karen/Keren community, supporting digital literacy materials (CellEd, adult basic education, North Star Digital Literacy Assessment), funding one FTE library safety specialist for 2027–2028, expanding Family Literacy Nights, and exploring new bilingual children's books in Karen and English. Board Member Johnson praised the investment as a "big deal." Board Member Noecker asked for an exit strategy to avoid relying on the general fund for grant-funded positions; staff noted the positions will be posted as three-year grant-funded and clearly labeled as such. Chair Jost expressed excitement about the impact on libraries, including the new Hamlin Midway Library.
  • Resolution PH 26-178 – Amending the Financing and Spending Plan: This resolution amended the Saint Paul Public Library Agency's spending plan by $920,000 to reflect the multi-year transfer of grant funds from the Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library, sourced from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The resolution was adopted unanimously (6-0).

Key Outcomes

  • Approved the July 8, 2026 minutes (6-0).
  • Laid over Staff Report 26-154 (Newcomer Services) to October 7, 2026 (6-0).
  • Received and filed Staff Report 26-156 (Strengthening Libraries as Spaces of Belonging Project) with no formal vote; it was presented as an informational update.
  • Adopted Resolution PH 26-178, amending the spending plan by $920,000 to accept the Mellon Foundation grant funds (6-0).
  • Chair Jost announced the opening of the Hamlin Midway Library and the upcoming library budget address at that location on Thursday, August 13, 2026 at 2:00 PM. The next Library Board meeting will include the budget presentation from the director.

The meeting adjourned after the announcements.

Meeting Transcript

Oohie. Here. Colvin. Here. Johnson. Jim. Naker. Yang. Here. Chair Joel. Here. For present, three absent, three being excused. The first item on the agenda is the approval of minutes, minutes 20- or 26-23 library board minutes for 7 or July 8th of 2026. Great. I uh will take a motion from Councilmember Coleman to approve the minutes. Is there any discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor say aye. Aye. All those opposed. Five in favor, zero opposed. The minutes are adopted. I'm sorry. We had two people coming. Six and favor. I'm so sorry. Six in favor, zero opposed. The minutes are adopted. The next item on the agenda is the staff report. Staff report 26-154, newcomer services. Um and this item uh we actually will be laying over to August 7th. Uh the presenter uh ended up not being available to present today, so I'd like to take a motion. Um are you getting feedback in here? Oh yeah. Okay. Okay, hopefully that will get fixed. Um so I'd like to take a motion from uh council vice president Yang to lay the staff report over to August 7th. All those in favor oh my god, why am I saying August? October 7th. Thank you, Director Herman. To lay this over to October 7th. All those in favor say aye. Aye aye. Aye. All those opposed. Six in favor, zero opposed. The staff report has been laid over to October 7th. The next staff report on the agenda is staff report 26-156. Strengthening libraries as spaces of the wrong project. Great. I'd like to welcome welcome Rebecca Ryan to present uh this topic uh for the Mellon grants.

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