Library Board Meeting Update

Submitted by Stephen Kight

At its regular meeting held last evening at Sharon Forks, the Library Board took action on several items and received information on others.

·         The Board received information about staff’s plan to provide programs to all ages this summer in a variety of formats: virtual, in-person, and engagement programs.

·         The Board received information that, based on FY2020 circulation data provided by Georgia Public Library Service, Sharon Forks was once again (by far) the public library facility (out of 410 in the state) with the highest physical circulation!  And for the first time, Post Road was #2!  Cumming was #10, despite being closed for part of the year for renovations.  And Hampton Park was #24.  While HP is our quietest branch, it’s important to remember that by Georgia standards, it is busy—having all four of our branches in the top 25 is very impressive!

·         The Board approved its FY22 schedule of meetings, approved its annual signature authority to Anna, and approved a fund resolution and resolution with Forsyth County Community Foundation.

·         The Board approved Memoranda of Understanding with two organizations the library works closely with: the FCPL Friends & Advocates and the Forsyth County Master Gardeners.

·         The Board approved an update to the Library Cards & Borrowing Materials Policy, effective July 1.  This policy was revised last summer following a thorough review.  Since that time staff have analyzed the regular balance program and small balance program with Unique Management and recommended that the threshold for each program be raised by $5, to $30 and $15 respectively.  Additionally, the amount at which a library card is blocked from further use will be raised from $10 to $15.  Two other minor changes will be made to the policy:

o   We are removing the phrase “at any time” in the statement that physical materials may be returned to any FCPL branch.  While the intention of this phrase had been to emphasize that book returns are open 24/7, we don’t want a very literal interpretation of the policy to result in books left outside a library branch on the rare occasion that one of the automated book returns is temporarily not working.

o   We are removing the statement that replacement costs for lost and damaged items can be found in the library catalog.  These costs are found in the library catalog only through the staff portal and are not accessible through the public catalog.  This statement causes confusion for patrons and is unnecessary to include in the policy, as patrons who express interest in replacing a lost or damaged item are told the cost by staff.

·         The Board approved a change to the Dress Code, effective today: “Jeans are permissible.  Distressed jeans are not allowed.”  Yes, you read that right!  Just in time to pair with your Tails and Tales t-shirts.  We hope staff enjoy having more flexibility in their wardrobe options.

·         The Board approved a commitment of $100,000 in fund balance towards the future purchase of a replacement AMH for Post Road, and approved a modification to our CY22 funding request to Forsyth County Government to eliminate a request for them to pay this cost.  They approved a transfer of $20,000 from the Personnel budget to the Materials budget; this will be used to purchase eBooks and eAudiobooks.  Additionally, they approved an increase of $850 in Donations revenues to reflect funds from the Forsyth County Public Library Fund at the Forsyth County Community Foundation, an affiliate of the North Georgia Community Foundation.  $750 of these donations were given in memory of Nancy Moseman, a long-time FCPL staff member.

·         Finally, the Board read a resolution and paid tribute to Tim Plotner, who has served on the Board for twelve years.  The Board of Commissioners has not appointed a replacement for Tim, but we expect that to occur prior to the July Board meeting.