WEBVTT 00:00:01.090 --> 00:00:08.117 - like to call to order the Monroe County Public Library Board of Trustees meeting for February 18, 2026. 00:00:08.117 --> 00:00:14.941 - We chose to move public comment to the beginning of our meetings, so we're going to at this time see 00:00:14.941 --> 00:00:18.590 - if anyone is here from the public to speak or online. 00:00:31.586 --> 00:01:00.574 - Hi, Paula. Oh, maybe. Did she chat? I see something down there. 00:01:02.082 --> 00:01:10.604 - I can't read it. Okay, okay, we'll move forward. I would like to make a note that in the minutes from 00:01:10.604 --> 00:01:19.210 - our last meeting, Jennifer Whitley was in attendance and was excluded, so we have that addition to the 00:01:19.210 --> 00:01:27.982 - meeting notes. Other than that, may I get the motion to approve then the consent agenda from last? Okay, 00:01:27.982 --> 00:01:31.742 - all in favor say aye. Those opposed say nay. 00:01:32.578 --> 00:01:38.839 - and next we're gonna hear the director's monthly report from Greer. Okay, January saw record use of 00:01:38.839 --> 00:01:45.350 - Overdrive, which is our incredibly popular ebook platform. This is the second month in a row that we've 00:01:45.350 --> 00:01:51.674 - seen record use of Overdrive, so that's very exciting. We also saw record use of Freegal, which is a 00:01:51.674 --> 00:01:57.809 - music streaming service we've offered for years, but it provides access to the Sony music catalog 00:01:57.809 --> 00:02:00.126 - specifically, and it actually allows 00:02:00.258 --> 00:02:06.331 - Up to five free downloads per week for patrons, which they get to keep. So they're DRM free files. Uh, 00:02:06.331 --> 00:02:12.285 - it's a, it's, I'd say sort of a little known resource, but we've seen a jump in frugal use, which is 00:02:12.285 --> 00:02:18.240 - really great. January also saw record Instagram engagement. And this is thanks largely to our heated 00:02:18.240 --> 00:02:24.254 - rivalry inspired real, which became our highest performing post of all time. So that's very exciting. 00:02:25.506 --> 00:02:30.883 - Our partnership with Health Net resumed in January. You may recall a couple of years ago we started 00:02:30.883 --> 00:02:35.883 - that partnership when we had some folks from Health Net come and speak to you all about what 00:02:35.883 --> 00:02:41.475 - their partnership and what their work is all about. That started in January after a brief hiatus. We're 00:02:41.475 --> 00:02:46.959 - glad to be able to work with the group again. They provide space and opportunities to support patrons 00:02:46.959 --> 00:02:52.497 - who are experiencing homelessness who have some basic health needs and they provide referrals to those 00:02:52.497 --> 00:02:54.110 - folks for more serious needs. 00:02:55.714 --> 00:03:01.728 - We did have to close to the public during the winter storm of January twenty fifth and twenty six. We've 00:03:01.728 --> 00:03:07.913 - taken those closures as an opportunity to review our own internal inclement weather communication protocols 00:03:07.913 --> 00:03:13.698 - for library staff and we're soon going to be adopting an automated messaging system for future hours 00:03:13.698 --> 00:03:19.998 - adjustments and closures. Our public communication protocols will remain the same and they of course focus on 00:03:20.130 --> 00:03:26.346 - website banner update as the closures or hours changes. Our mainline voicemail provides that update, 00:03:26.346 --> 00:03:32.685 - and then we do social media posts as well. So that won't change, but the way we communicate internally 00:03:32.685 --> 00:03:39.086 - with staff and departments will change pretty soon. One operational exception to the January 26 closure 00:03:39.086 --> 00:03:45.364 - is CATS. Our team is contractually obligated to cover local government meetings, including those that 00:03:45.364 --> 00:03:47.518 - are held during inclement weather. 00:03:47.746 --> 00:03:53.523 - So our sincere thanks to Martin, Adam, and the entire CATS team for braving the bad weather in order 00:03:53.523 --> 00:03:59.357 - to cover those meetings during those winter storms. We also work closely with city parking during the 00:03:59.357 --> 00:04:05.192 - storm to ensure that our staff had adequate parking options for working here at the downtown library. 00:04:05.192 --> 00:04:11.140 - The lot over there we call lot five on Lincoln. We have a number of those spots reserved for our staff. 00:04:11.140 --> 00:04:16.574 - We also give out parking passes to staff for what we call zone four in the surrounding blocks. 00:04:16.770 --> 00:04:21.922 - Both of those were pretty much off limits because of snow accumulation. So Becky Throckmorton and our 00:04:21.922 --> 00:04:27.023 - HR team worked very closely with city parking to make sure that we had temporary alternative parking 00:04:27.023 --> 00:04:32.074 - solutions for staff that did not cost them anything. That's a tough thing to do in the middle of an 00:04:32.074 --> 00:04:37.630 - inclement weather crisis. So thanks not only to HR but also city parking for working closely with us on that. 00:04:38.882 --> 00:04:44.867 - At the start of our new budget year, I'd like to thank our foundation and Friends of the Library group 00:04:44.867 --> 00:04:50.852 - for their continued financial, volunteerism, and advocacy support. The Friends and Foundation received 00:04:50.852 --> 00:04:56.662 - donations from the public to support library services and the Friends annual gift to the library of 00:04:56.662 --> 00:04:57.534 - over $110,000. 00:04:57.730 --> 00:05:03.374 - covers the vast majority of our programming costs. This is a critical partnership which makes so much 00:05:03.374 --> 00:05:08.907 - of our work here at the library possible. And also a big thank you to all in our community who make 00:05:08.907 --> 00:05:14.937 - donations to the foundation, either in financial form or through volunteerism. Happy to answer any questions 00:05:14.937 --> 00:05:16.542 - about the director's report. 00:05:23.042 --> 00:05:32.335 - We are gonna move on. Do I have a motion to hear about the CATS annual contracts from Martin O'Neill? 00:05:32.335 --> 00:05:41.902 - Second. Yeah, these are four contracts this evening. One from the city, the county, town of Ellitsville, 00:05:41.902 --> 00:05:51.286 - and a memorandum of understanding with WFHB. The city contract is a 1% increase over last year. County 00:05:51.286 --> 00:05:52.926 - is a 3% increase. 00:05:53.698 --> 00:06:01.732 - Ellisville is a 2% and our agreement with WFHB, that is the continuation of our weekly government roundup 00:06:01.732 --> 00:06:09.615 - show called Cats Week that we do every Friday. And that's basically it. No questions. I know we usually 00:06:09.615 --> 00:06:17.346 - take care of this earlier, so thank you for... Oh, no, thank you. ...to have it all wrapped up. Yeah, 00:06:17.346 --> 00:06:23.486 - it was just a weird time. You know, everything was just getting later and later. 00:06:25.122 --> 00:06:41.237 - All in favor say aye. Those opposed say nay. Motion approved. Next up, motion to hear the Code of Conduct 00:06:41.237 --> 00:06:45.950 - Policy update from Tory Lohan. 00:06:55.234 --> 00:07:02.405 - Hi, this is just one line in the code of conduct policy. So the code of conduct policy was updated just 00:07:02.405 --> 00:07:09.921 - before the new media relations policy. So it's the line in regards to photographing and recording activities 00:07:09.921 --> 00:07:17.506 - within the library. So currently the code of conduct says patrons who wish to photograph or record activities 00:07:17.506 --> 00:07:20.126 - at the library must obtain permission 00:07:20.258 --> 00:07:26.565 - from the individuals involved. And then it says, please see the library's media relations policy for 00:07:26.565 --> 00:07:32.871 - details. That refers to our old media relations policy. So it was pulled from that into the new code 00:07:32.871 --> 00:07:39.303 - of conduct. And then we're proposing that we take it from the updated media relations policy. So we're 00:07:39.303 --> 00:07:45.609 - proposing it changes to, in general, photography and recording is permitted in public spaces on MCPL 00:07:45.609 --> 00:07:49.918 - property, provided it does not interfere with MCPL staff and patrons 00:07:50.050 --> 00:07:56.537 - do not wish to be recorded, including minors whose caregiver has not given consent, please see the library's 00:07:56.537 --> 00:08:02.489 - media relations policy for details. And all of that comes verbatim from the media relations policy. 00:08:02.489 --> 00:08:08.559 - So we're trying to give some general guidelines while also keeping it open for interpretation as well 00:08:08.559 --> 00:08:14.629 - to help staff. So does that mean that if somebody sees you take pictures of somebody, that they would 00:08:14.629 --> 00:08:18.974 - just go over and share that they don't want their child's picture taken? 00:08:20.162 --> 00:08:28.233 - When I read this, how do they know if their child is going to be given their picture if they are not 00:08:28.233 --> 00:08:36.224 - around to see the pictures taken? The way we approach it is because this is a public space. The way 00:08:36.224 --> 00:08:37.662 - we approach it is 00:08:37.858 --> 00:08:44.558 - you know, you're out in public, so chances are you're gonna be recorded. The way we approach it is if 00:08:44.558 --> 00:08:51.389 - either a staff member or a patron, especially one who is a caregiver of a minor says, hey, I don't wish 00:08:51.389 --> 00:08:58.023 - for my child to be recorded, then that should be respected. And if it does not, then it kind of goes 00:08:58.023 --> 00:09:03.934 - into maybe a violation of the code of conduct policy, and then we approach it from there. 00:09:07.266 --> 00:09:16.656 - So if a child doesn't have a caregiver present, that is just something that the caregiver would be proactive 00:09:16.656 --> 00:09:25.874 - about communicating. Yes. Any other questions? All in favor of approving the change to the code of conduct 00:09:25.874 --> 00:09:32.766 - policy, say aye. All opposed say nay. Ayes have it. Motion approved. Thank you. 00:09:36.418 --> 00:09:43.797 - Next up, we are going to move to formally adopt the remote work policy motion to hear Becky on the remote 00:09:43.797 --> 00:09:44.702 - work policy. 00:09:52.642 --> 00:09:59.271 - So I know I presented last month with some information on the room at work policy. What we've seen from 00:09:59.271 --> 00:10:05.900 - use didn't want to offer the opportunity to answer any questions that might be lingering from last time 00:10:05.900 --> 00:10:12.338 - or anything that we didn't go over that you all were hoping to cover. The policy that's in the board 00:10:12.338 --> 00:10:17.310 - packet, the only two things that we've updated from the initial pilot program 00:10:17.506 --> 00:10:23.436 - Are we added some clarity around what happens if there is an emergency closing for a particular branch? 00:10:23.436 --> 00:10:29.251 - That came out of some feedback and questions that we had from staff and managers. Just to clarify, if 00:10:29.251 --> 00:10:35.124 - a particular branch is closed and the staff member is working remotely that day, they would still need 00:10:35.124 --> 00:10:41.281 - to clock in and work. If it's something that's like a utility outage or something like that that's specific 00:10:41.281 --> 00:10:44.702 - to one branch versus like a weather, inclement weather that 00:10:45.090 --> 00:10:51.849 - you know, impacts all three branches where everyone is out. Obviously that would be an emergency time 00:10:51.849 --> 00:10:58.740 - as well because that probably includes that employees place of residence. Um, and then the other change 00:10:58.740 --> 00:11:05.432 - that we made is just formalizing to remove names. Um, so we put in positions for, um, who to contact 00:11:05.432 --> 00:11:12.389 - and who makes approvals on things so that it's a little bit more formal and less, um, tied to particular 00:11:12.389 --> 00:11:14.046 - names. So any questions? 00:11:18.242 --> 00:11:27.660 - Appreciate you doing that so that we don't have to continue to approve changes when there are name changes. 00:11:27.660 --> 00:11:36.990 - Any other questions? All in favor of approving the remote work policy as presented, say aye. Those opposed 00:11:36.990 --> 00:11:45.797 - say nay. Ayes have it, motion approved. Thank you. Can I get a motion to hear the resolution for the 00:11:45.797 --> 00:11:47.454 - surplus equipment? 00:11:54.114 --> 00:12:03.995 - Gary, tell us all about it. This resolution for surplusing equipment is the result of a request from 00:12:03.995 --> 00:12:13.875 - our IT department. We had another employee who wanted to purchase their retired computer through the 00:12:13.875 --> 00:12:17.886 - bookstore. So that's what this is about. 00:12:24.258 --> 00:12:32.218 - I really like that that is an option. So thank you. Any questions? All in favor of the resolution for 00:12:32.218 --> 00:12:40.023 - the surplus equipment say aye. Those opposed say nay. Ayes have it. Motion approved. And next we're 00:12:40.023 --> 00:12:46.110 - going to continue to hear from Gary Letler about the annual financial report. 00:12:46.658 --> 00:12:55.670 - Yes. So this is the annual financial report that is done for the Department of Local Government Finance 00:12:55.670 --> 00:13:04.335 - and it's uploaded to Gateway and it's open to the public. And this is the first time that we've had 00:13:04.335 --> 00:13:13.173 - this annual report in the packet. And the reason we are doing it now is because in our last audit the 00:13:13.173 --> 00:13:15.166 - auditors ask us if the 00:13:15.650 --> 00:13:24.033 - annual report was being reviewed, and in the past, I've just filed it because it always gets, as we 00:13:24.033 --> 00:13:32.416 - get an audit, that is the focus. It's those reports that are uploaded to Gateway. And so I thought, 00:13:32.416 --> 00:13:40.799 - well, that's the review. But anyway, they said, you really should have your director and your board 00:13:40.799 --> 00:13:43.230 - review it. So it's in there. 00:13:43.458 --> 00:13:51.400 - just in case you have questions, but it's gonna be thoroughly tested later. And the other annual report 00:13:51.400 --> 00:13:59.190 - that you have seen in the past, which is usually in the packet in March is for the State Library, and 00:13:59.190 --> 00:14:06.979 - I think Greer knows more about this than me, but they're having a lot of problems, and we're probably 00:14:06.979 --> 00:14:10.110 - not gonna have that in the March packet. 00:14:13.506 --> 00:14:19.751 - Annual report Gary's referring to is sort of the state library's public library annual report where 00:14:19.751 --> 00:14:26.246 - we focus on everything from operating costs to total staff to types of services we provide, data points 00:14:26.246 --> 00:14:32.615 - supporting those services and all of that. And we usually do it in January. The due date is March 1st 00:14:32.615 --> 00:14:38.985 - and then we give you all sort of a PDF version of it and then we summarize the highlights. So you may 00:14:38.985 --> 00:14:43.294 - recall that Baker and Taylor closed once and for all late last year. 00:14:43.650 --> 00:14:48.798 - Baker and Taylor actually owned and operated the web portal that we use for doing the annual report. 00:14:48.798 --> 00:14:54.253 - So the State Library has been working to find a new vendor. They have found a new vendor, but establishing 00:14:54.253 --> 00:14:59.452 - the new portal has taken a little bit of time. So we heard from the State Library representative just 00:14:59.452 --> 00:15:04.091 - last week that we still plan to do the annual report. We don't have a date yet for when it 00:15:04.091 --> 00:15:09.086 - will be distributed. Obviously, once it is, we'll probably get about three months to get it done. 00:15:09.186 --> 00:15:15.636 - If I had to guess, I'd say we'll give you all the PDF version of the report that we complete probably 00:15:15.636 --> 00:15:22.086 - around July, and we'll go through it like we do every year. It's just going to be a little later than 00:15:22.086 --> 00:15:28.662 - usual. I do have questions about that. Understand the pickup with tech and vendors. Why is the timeline 00:15:28.662 --> 00:15:30.686 - changing though for completion? 00:15:31.234 --> 00:15:36.720 - The data's there. The data changes from year to year. The questions that they ask is changed year to 00:15:36.720 --> 00:15:42.261 - year. So some of the data gathering we're gonna do in a preliminary fashion because we always have to 00:15:42.261 --> 00:15:47.692 - have certain data points entered and that's pretty like boilerplate. But the way they ask questions 00:15:47.692 --> 00:15:53.124 - about particularly programming, digital collections use and things like that do change from year to 00:15:53.124 --> 00:15:58.665 - year enough that it's hard for us to. Even this year. Yeah. You think so? Yes. So it's hard for us to 00:15:58.665 --> 00:15:59.262 - anticipate 00:15:59.714 --> 00:16:06.582 - what numbers they're gonna ask for when it comes to those things. So some of the report we can get started 00:16:06.582 --> 00:16:13.129 - on early and just have the numbers ready, and some of it is we're just gonna have to wait and see how 00:16:13.129 --> 00:16:20.126 - they ask those questions. Okay. Yeah. Thank you. All right. Any other questions? Thank you. This is just for 00:16:21.346 --> 00:16:27.613 - Information for the board the conflict of interest form is available in the packet If you feel there 00:16:27.613 --> 00:16:33.942 - is something that you would like to disclose if you would like to talk to career about it If you have 00:16:33.942 --> 00:16:40.271 - a question or fill it out and turn that in if you feel that you do not have conflict of interest Then 00:16:40.271 --> 00:16:46.600 - you do not need to worry about that Does anyone have questions about it Okay In a previous meeting we 00:16:46.600 --> 00:16:51.006 - had talked about our election a board of officers so I'm going to have 00:16:51.650 --> 00:17:01.000 - Motion to do that now and we will vote individually on each person. Can I get a motion to vote for the 00:17:01.000 --> 00:17:10.532 - election board of officers? Okay, I am gonna start with Amy O'Shaughnessy as the treasurer. All in favor 00:17:10.532 --> 00:17:18.430 - of Amy as treasurer, say aye. Aye. Those opposed say nay. Amy is treasurer. Aye. Like, 00:17:19.234 --> 00:17:26.325 - A vote in aye if you support Chris Hall remaining as secretary. All in favor say aye. Those opposed 00:17:26.325 --> 00:17:33.487 - say nay. Chris, thanks for continuing to be secretary. And stepping into the role of VP for approval 00:17:33.487 --> 00:17:40.578 - from everyone is Whitney Eads for vice president. All in favor say aye. Aye. Those opposed say nay. 00:17:40.578 --> 00:17:48.094 - Thank you Whitney. And continuing in the role as president, myself, Jamie Burkhart. All in favor say aye. 00:17:49.058 --> 00:18:00.865 - Those opposed say nay. Thank you guys very much. Anybody else have any other comments before we adjourn? 00:18:00.865 --> 00:18:12.222 - Oh, sorry, not on my list. Sorry, Tory. We have a department update date from Tory, so come on down. 00:18:18.210 --> 00:18:47.806 - I'm back and this time I have pictures. I'm sorry, I have a Mac. 00:18:57.122 --> 00:19:19.925 - Anyone? Anyone? Okay. Down there? All the way over? One more? Okay. Can I do it without my notes? Nope. 00:19:19.925 --> 00:19:25.406 - Okay. There we go. Nope. 00:19:26.082 --> 00:19:39.810 - Man, I'm sorry, guys. All right. Is this view okay? Okay. All right, well, okay. All right, so my name 00:19:39.810 --> 00:19:50.206 - is Tori Lawhorn, and I am the Communications and Marketing Director for MCPL. 00:19:50.914 --> 00:19:57.624 - I'll give you a little department update. So our purpose, so the CNM team aims to support the library's 00:19:57.624 --> 00:20:04.140 - mission of strengthening and enriching the lives of Monroe County residents to support equitable and 00:20:04.140 --> 00:20:10.721 - impartial access to read, learn, connect, and create. And we play a crucial role in promoting library 00:20:10.721 --> 00:20:17.302 - services, events, resources, as well as engaging with the community to build awareness and strengthen 00:20:17.302 --> 00:20:18.270 - relationships. 00:20:18.946 --> 00:20:25.143 - And our team's purpose is to make sure that MCPL's message is heard, understood, and appreciated, fostering 00:20:25.143 --> 00:20:31.455 - a deeper connection between the library and our Monroe County community. We use a variety of media platforms, 00:20:31.455 --> 00:20:37.250 - strategies, tactics, and communication efforts to build awareness, increase engagement, and generate 00:20:37.250 --> 00:20:41.726 - support for MCPL's mission, vision, and values. We are an award-winning team. 00:20:41.922 --> 00:20:49.707 - So we won best in division under the booklet or brochure category at the Great Lakes Graphics Association 00:20:49.707 --> 00:20:57.565 - Graphic Excellence Awards in 2024 for our summer reading game boards. And then in 2025, we won a promotion 00:20:57.565 --> 00:21:05.055 - award from Downtown Bloomington, Inc. We are also stewards of accessibility and inclusion. We're very 00:21:05.055 --> 00:21:11.518 - proud of that. We ensure that all of our fonts, colors, and copy are dyslexia friendly. 00:21:11.906 --> 00:21:18.788 - We also test for additional accessibility, such as color blindness. We truly aim to strike a balance 00:21:18.788 --> 00:21:25.806 - between an art and a science behind everything we do. We also make sure that our imagery, if we choose 00:21:25.806 --> 00:21:32.756 - to show people, accurately reflect the diverse population that MCPL serves. And we make sure that all 00:21:32.756 --> 00:21:39.637 - of our materials, both digital and print, are ADA compliant. Nope. All right, so who we are and what 00:21:39.637 --> 00:21:41.886 - we do. So we are a team of four. 00:21:42.082 --> 00:21:51.128 - So Keller and I started at MCPL in July of 2022. So we're about to hit our four year anniversary. Christie 00:21:51.128 --> 00:22:00.766 - started in October of that year. And then Aubrey has been with MCPL in a variety of roles for more than 25 years. 00:22:01.218 --> 00:22:08.916 - We are both a proactive and a responsive department. So proactively, we seek to initiate creative campaigns 00:22:08.916 --> 00:22:16.472 - throughout the year, including Library Lovers Month, which is this month, National Library Week in April, 00:22:16.472 --> 00:22:24.028 - Library Card Sign-up Month in September, and Band Books Week in October, among a variety of other things. 00:22:24.028 --> 00:22:30.942 - Responsively, we have a form that any MCPL staff member can fill out should they have a request. 00:22:31.234 --> 00:22:36.885 - On average, we get about 50 a month. That request is sent directly to me, evaluated, and then put into 00:22:36.885 --> 00:22:42.537 - our project management system. We typically turn these around within five weekdays. For those projects 00:22:42.537 --> 00:22:48.298 - that require a little more back and forth and creative brainstorming, we generally meet with a requester 00:22:48.298 --> 00:22:54.168 - and get a sense of their idea. This is a great opportunity for collaboration among subject matter experts, 00:22:54.168 --> 00:22:59.326 - particularly through the public service lens of MCPL, who regularly interact with the public. 00:22:59.970 --> 00:23:08.022 - We also look for opportunities in which projects who may originate at one location can be adapted to 00:23:08.022 --> 00:23:16.155 - other locations to help create a universal patron experience. So currently, we're using our 2024-2026 00:23:16.155 --> 00:23:24.446 - strategic plan as our guidelines, specifically strategic goal number one and strategic goal number two. 00:23:24.446 --> 00:23:29.150 - At the start of 2024, we took a hard look at our 2024-2026 00:23:29.410 --> 00:23:35.591 - 2026 strategic plan goals, and we decided that every decision we make moving forward should relate back 00:23:35.591 --> 00:23:41.534 - to one or hopefully both of these strategic goals. As we begin planning for the 2027-2029 strategic 00:23:41.534 --> 00:23:47.833 - plan, the CNM team will take a close data-informed look at how we effectively support these goals through 00:23:47.833 --> 00:23:54.192 - our messaging, branding, and engagement. We'll evaluate what resonated with the community, which campaigns 00:23:54.192 --> 00:23:56.510 - increased awareness and participation, 00:23:57.154 --> 00:24:02.624 - and where our storytelling around intellectual freedom, literacy, and digital equity can be stronger 00:24:02.624 --> 00:24:08.095 - or more inclusive. Community feedback through surveys, engagement metrics, direct conversations, and 00:24:08.095 --> 00:24:13.836 - anecdotes will play a central role in shaping our next steps. This reflective process will help us refine 00:24:13.836 --> 00:24:19.523 - our strategies so our communications can continue to amplify library values, respond to community needs, 00:24:19.523 --> 00:24:22.718 - and support the library's mission with clarity and impact. 00:24:25.730 --> 00:24:32.063 - So these are a couple of recent examples that we did last year. So this is National Library Week. This 00:24:32.063 --> 00:24:38.335 - was the week of April 6th through 12th. The national theme was drawn to the library. So we decided on 00:24:38.335 --> 00:24:44.790 - a campaign that encouraged patrons to visit all MCPL locations to get them to check out what the various 00:24:44.790 --> 00:24:51.369 - library locations had to offer, including different collections, unique physical spaces, and conversations 00:24:51.369 --> 00:24:53.214 - with different staff members. 00:24:54.050 --> 00:25:00.276 - Our promotional copy was National Library Week is an annual celebration highlighting the valuable role 00:25:00.276 --> 00:25:06.380 - libraries and library workers play in transforming lives and strengthening our communities. So staff 00:25:06.380 --> 00:25:12.485 - members provided input to us for their mascots over on the left. Each location had a special sticker 00:25:12.485 --> 00:25:18.590 - that patrons could get and each mascot was special to each location through various characteristics. 00:25:18.590 --> 00:25:21.310 - And we encourage patrons to collect them all 00:25:21.602 --> 00:25:28.272 - And many did. And we still have some today. We also had postcards over on the right. And on the back, 00:25:28.272 --> 00:25:34.943 - the copy said, tell your representatives why you're drawn to the library. Learn how to take action by 00:25:34.943 --> 00:25:41.482 - scanning the QR code. And the QR code went to a blog post on our website about intellectual freedom 00:25:41.482 --> 00:25:45.406 - and resources provided by the American Library Association. 00:25:48.354 --> 00:25:55.937 - This was our campaign for Library Card Sign Up Month this past September. What we normally get feedback 00:25:55.937 --> 00:26:03.374 - wise is, I love the library, but I don't know how to support it. And so we took that feedback, and we 00:26:03.374 --> 00:26:09.790 - decided that we really wanted solid call to actions for our Library Card Sign Up Month. 00:26:09.922 --> 00:26:16.126 - This is particularly important because not only do we want people to be introduced to the library, but 00:26:16.126 --> 00:26:22.210 - we also want to give them solid action if they choose to support the library. So we decided on three 00:26:22.210 --> 00:26:25.342 - particular actions. So join, discover, and support. 00:26:25.698 --> 00:26:32.710 - So how to sign up for your library card, materials that you can access with your library card, because 00:26:32.710 --> 00:26:39.723 - that's supporting your library simply by checking out materials. And then additional support being get 00:26:39.723 --> 00:26:46.803 - a library card, join the friends of the library, attend programs. So we wanted to make it pretty simple 00:26:46.803 --> 00:26:52.862 - for our audiences on here's how you can tangibly support the library. Band books a week. 00:26:53.410 --> 00:27:00.258 - So the campaign from ALA was actually very similar to this. Normally we look at the campaign and we 00:27:00.258 --> 00:27:07.311 - decide if we want to kind of mirror it or if we want to do our own. This one we actually really liked. 00:27:07.311 --> 00:27:14.296 - Their national campaign was Read for Your Rights Censorship Episode 1984. We really liked that. So we 00:27:14.296 --> 00:27:21.418 - did kind of our own spin on it, but very similar. So it's kind of red, white, and blue, which we really 00:27:21.418 --> 00:27:23.198 - don't do. So we did that. 00:27:23.330 --> 00:27:30.521 - We did kind of quotes on banned books and intellectual freedom. We did the top 10 most challenged books 00:27:30.521 --> 00:27:37.505 - and why to kind of educate our audience on that. We also were able to reserve half of the glass case 00:27:37.505 --> 00:27:44.557 - in City Hall for September, which is something we haven't been able to do before. So that was another 00:27:44.557 --> 00:27:48.222 - way to kind of get our message out in the community. 00:27:49.090 --> 00:27:56.112 - We also always have a blog post that talks about statistics for book challenges and intellectual freedom, 00:27:56.112 --> 00:28:03.068 - especially throughout the country. ALA always releases those numbers right before National Library Week. 00:28:03.068 --> 00:28:09.760 - So we try to make sure that our posts and our content are always data-driven to inform our audiences 00:28:09.760 --> 00:28:12.542 - as well. And those always do really well. 00:28:17.410 --> 00:28:24.192 - after you've educated the people on these books that they say, well, let's put them back in the library 00:28:24.192 --> 00:28:30.779 - and let's not ban them anymore? Or is there any comments as far as that we can do things differently 00:28:30.779 --> 00:28:37.366 - than other areas just because we're more educated on those books? We're very lucky where most of the 00:28:37.366 --> 00:28:43.953 - time our comments are very supportive, where most of the time it's, I can't believe these are banned 00:28:43.953 --> 00:28:46.366 - in other places. I wish people would 00:28:46.530 --> 00:28:53.294 - have more empathy and read characters that are not about them or would have a different perspective. 00:28:53.294 --> 00:29:00.059 - We haven't had really a lot of comments where they're very negative. So a lot of them are in support 00:29:00.059 --> 00:29:06.890 - or a lot of the comments are, thank you for reminding me, I need to check these out because I haven't 00:29:06.890 --> 00:29:12.382 - read them since high school. And so we really see a lot of circulation with that. 00:29:12.450 --> 00:29:19.993 - A lot of them are actually thanking us for reminding them, or, you know, I want to read about that. 00:29:19.993 --> 00:29:27.762 - I want you to check this out. So we get a lot of supportive comments. So literacy learning and digital 00:29:27.762 --> 00:29:33.118 - equity. ADA, DEI, and accessibility truly guide everything that we do. 00:29:33.762 --> 00:29:39.892 - for providing accessible and digital content. So that includes websites, emails, and social media posts. 00:29:39.892 --> 00:29:46.080 - We make sure that they are screen reader friendly and follow accessibility standards like the web content 00:29:46.080 --> 00:29:52.093 - accessibility guidelines. And we work with our web administrator to make sure that our content follows 00:29:52.093 --> 00:29:58.281 - those guidelines. With our physical content, we make sure our language does not surpass a certain reading 00:29:58.281 --> 00:30:02.718 - level. And all of our fonts and designs are accessible as much as possible. 00:30:03.394 --> 00:30:08.901 - In terms of culturally relevant marketing, messaging and programming, we make sure that they reflect 00:30:08.901 --> 00:30:14.518 - the diverse communities that the library serves. This includes ensuring that promotions are not biased 00:30:14.518 --> 00:30:20.080 - toward a particular group, but instead cater to all backgrounds and experiences. Although we tend not 00:30:20.080 --> 00:30:25.532 - to show people in our marketing, we follow these guidelines if and when we do show people equitable 00:30:25.532 --> 00:30:27.550 - access when we promote our services. 00:30:27.714 --> 00:30:33.892 - We ensure people from underserved or marginalized groups are aware of and have the same access to library 00:30:33.892 --> 00:30:39.254 - resources such as language services, support for non-English speakers, or outreach to lower 00:30:39.254 --> 00:30:45.258 - income communities. We continue to work heavily with vital and outreach services on these initiatives. 00:30:45.258 --> 00:30:51.494 - Inclusive language, using language that is welcoming to all such as avoiding stereotypes and being mindful 00:30:51.494 --> 00:30:53.534 - of terms that promote inclusivity. 00:30:54.018 --> 00:31:00.417 - especially using gender neutral language, for instance. So for example, we use caregiver instead of 00:31:00.417 --> 00:31:07.136 - parent. Ultimately, communication and marketing in a public library setting must aim to build awareness, 00:31:07.136 --> 00:31:13.599 - inclusivity, and community engagement while making sure that all individuals, regardless of ability, 00:31:13.599 --> 00:31:18.718 - background, or identity, can fully access benefit from our library's resources, 00:31:18.946 --> 00:31:25.319 - And these guidelines ensure that MCPL not only fulfills our role as community hubs and beloved third 00:31:25.319 --> 00:31:31.755 - spaces, but also serve as equitable and welcoming spaces for all of our patrons. To help evaluate our 00:31:31.755 --> 00:31:38.380 - efforts, we were the client last semester and we are also the client this semester of a public relations 00:31:38.380 --> 00:31:41.598 - campaign for this semester at the IU Media School. 00:31:42.402 --> 00:31:50.209 - So in small teams, PR students are taking a specific part of MCPL as their client in the hopes of doing 00:31:50.209 --> 00:31:57.715 - an unbiased third-party evaluation, as well as ways that we can improve our marketing and branding. 00:31:57.715 --> 00:32:05.372 - So each of their efforts are guided by one of our strategic plan goals, and we are excited to see the 00:32:05.372 --> 00:32:09.726 - culmination of their semester-long work this April. Yeah? 00:32:09.954 --> 00:32:18.154 - to like the small group or is it going to be more of a, I just wondered. Yeah, yeah, so they have client 00:32:18.154 --> 00:32:25.963 - presentations so it will be just to the CNM team right now and then we try to take that information 00:32:25.963 --> 00:32:29.790 - and see what tangibly that we can do on our end. 00:32:30.434 --> 00:32:37.084 - Last year, we took some of their marketing tactics specifically for IU students. And we used those in 00:32:37.084 --> 00:32:43.734 - August. And we actually got triple the amount of IU students signing up for library cards. So they're 00:32:43.734 --> 00:32:50.514 - very insightful, very helpful, especially because it's our target audience doing work about themselves, 00:32:50.514 --> 00:32:57.164 - which is great insight. So generally, we get all of their data, all of their research. But I am happy 00:32:57.164 --> 00:32:59.902 - to present that to you all as well. Yeah. 00:33:01.218 --> 00:33:08.226 - Yeah. Or something like just insights that they came up with. Yeah. No, absolutely. No, it's semester 00:33:08.226 --> 00:33:15.166 - long, and they work incredibly hard on it. So no, I would be happy to present that to you all. Yeah, 00:33:15.166 --> 00:33:22.243 - no, thank you. So just a final note that the CNM team provides essential support to MCPL staff and our 00:33:22.243 --> 00:33:26.366 - patrons by promoting library news, programs, and resources. 00:33:26.466 --> 00:33:33.061 - which helps build stronger relationships with our community. And this support helps MCPL staff focus 00:33:33.061 --> 00:33:39.655 - on their core mission, which is of course to serve patrons and enrich the lives of our Monroe County 00:33:39.655 --> 00:33:46.577 - residents. And I would be happy to take questions. Great job. Yeah. Do you find that you're in a position 00:33:46.577 --> 00:33:53.237 - right now where you're dealing with any kind of challenges where you feel like you could use a little 00:33:53.237 --> 00:33:55.326 - more support to get you to meet 00:33:56.610 --> 00:34:02.989 - that your strategic goals, because this is really important work. Yeah, thank you so much. Actually, 00:34:02.989 --> 00:34:09.369 - we are very privileged right now. I don't think so. We have an incredibly supportive community. Even 00:34:09.369 --> 00:34:15.811 - when we had to close for a couple of days, I know that can be incredibly challenging for a lot of our 00:34:15.811 --> 00:34:22.317 - patrons, but we had nothing but support of stay safe, we understand. So we're very lucky to be in that 00:34:22.317 --> 00:34:25.854 - position. So I don't think so right now, but thank you. 00:34:30.146 --> 00:34:40.355 - Any other questions or comments? Thanks, Tori. All right, thank you all. You make us look good. Any 00:34:40.355 --> 00:34:50.462 - other board comments before we adjourn? Motion to adjourn. All in favor say aye. We are adjourned.