Kankakee Times

Bourbonnais Public Library District Board of Trustees met March 20.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

President David Stejkowski called to order the regular meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Bourbonnais Public Library District at 7:00 p.m. on March 20, 2023.

Trustees present: Mary Kay Blankestyn, Deborah Hendrick, Laurie Hofman, Judith Smead, and David Stejkowski. Trustee Ellen Stringer was absent.

Also present: Library Director Kelly McCully (via ZOOM), Assistant Director Brittaney Beck, and members of the public: Carol Morse, Judy Koerner, Gerry Bateman, Linda Underwood, and Terry Atkins.

President’s Report: Stejkowski noted there was a quorum present. He also welcomed Brittaney Beck as the new Assistant Library Director.

Public Comment: Stejkowski requested that the Board start with the Public Comment item on the agenda and invited members of the public to address the Board. Carol Morse spoke on behalf of the Read Between the Lines book club which has been meeting at the Library for 12 years. The concern is that members were told that the book club was being disbanded. The participants felt they were notified of the discontinuation of the club on Tuesday, March 14, without a satisfactory explanation. After the notification that the Library would be restructuring the book club, McCully met on Wednesday, March 15, and the days following with Morse and several of the book club members one-on-one who believed that the decision to discontinue the club was connected to one particular controversial book that was recently discussed. McCully explained that new guidelines are being drafted for all book clubs to ensure that book club selections and discussions align with the library’s policies and Mission. McCully shared that, due to the library’s construction project, restructuring will not occur until after June. The participants expressed a desire to meet during the book club guidelines restructuring. Stejkowski and the Board thanked the members of the Read Between the Lines book club for their comments.

Secretary’s Report: The Board reviewed the minutes from the regular Board Meeting held February 27, 2023, and the Special Board Meeting held March 15, 2023. Blankestyn made a motion to accept all the minutes as presented. Smead seconded the motion and it passed with a vote of all ayes. Trustee Stringer was absent.

Correspondence & Communications and Public Comment (action items only): Library Director McCully and BPL Staff received a note from Liberty Intermediate School Librarian Marissa Anderson expressing her appreciation for everything the library staff did to make the Battle of the Books competition a big success.

Financial Report: In the absence of Trustee Stringer, Stejkowski reviewed the transactions and asked for any questions. Stejkowski made a motion to pay the monthly bills as presented. Hofman seconded the motion. Blankestyn, Hendrick, Hofman, Smead, and Stejkowski voted yes. Trustee Stringer was absent. The balance sheet is tracking at 62.5% and will be submitted to the auditor.

Director’s Report: Deadlines: April 4, Consolidated Election. April 30, Last day for filing Statement of Economic Interests with the County Clerk. May 15, First day for new trustees to begin their terms.

Marketing: The Library has 2,896 Facebook followers, 1,025 Instagram followers, and 1,407 followers on TikTok.

February and March Marketing Campaign highlights included Black History Month Film Bingo and the annual March Book Madness.

Program posts have started on the library’s social media platforms for the upcoming library construction project. The posts started with communications about a pause in the regular Storytime and Teen Library Club programming. McCully encourages everyone to stay tuned for more detailed information and FAQs about the project on the library’s social media platforms provided by the Marketing Team.

Building & Grounds: McCully worked with the Carlile Group to complete the bid process for the upcoming Flooring Project. The Pre-bid Walkthrough took place on Thursday, March 2, 2023. Public bids were accepted from contractors until Friday, March 10, 2023, at 2 p.m. when architect, Jacob Carlile, opened all public bids. The bid recommendations were presented to the Board for approval at a Special Board Meeting on Wednesday, March 15, 2023. The Project Agreement will be signed by two Board officers and a final ratification of the Agreement will be made at the regular meeting on Monday, March 20, 2023.

The Library signed an agreement with Hallett & Sons Expert Movers, Inc. on March 7, 2023. Hallett Movers will provide internal relocation and return of all designated library shelving, boxes, furniture, etc. over the course of three moving phases in conjunction with the Flooring Project. This will include a range mover that can move library shelves quickly and efficiently without having to remove items on shelves.

The Library completed the annual maintenance and inspection on our boiler, back-flow prevention system, and alarm system. The State Fire Marshall’s office performed the two year inspection of our boiler on Monday, March 13, 2023. Precision Piping completed the annual back-flow preventer test on Tuesday, March 14, 2023. The annual fire protection alarm system testing was performed by Protection Associates on March 3, 2023. All systems passed inspection.

Finance: The library’s mortgage with Midland Bank was paid off in full on March 15, 2023. The original mortgage was opened to pay for the library’s expansion and renovation project of 2005-06, a project that doubled the library’s square footage and modernized many of the systems and spaces throughout the Library. The loan payoff removes over $108,000 in expenditures from the library’s annual budget.

$165,953 was transferred from the library’s Capital Reserve Fund with the Illinois Funds on Friday, March 17, 2023. This transfer was approved by a majority vote of the Board at the March 15, 2023, Special Meeting. These funds will be used to pay expenses for the flooring project.

Administration: On Monday, March 13, 2023, BPL welcomed Brittaney Beck as the new Assistant Director. Brittaney joins the library team with a wealth of knowledge and experience working with local government. She has quickly and skillfully taken on the new position, gotten to know staff, attended her first special board and supervisory meetings, and networked with area library staff at the RAILS (Reaching Across Illinois Library System) Executive Director Meet & Greet.

On Wednesday, March 15, 2023, the Library welcomed Reaching Across Illinois Library System Executive Director, Monica Harris. BPL was the first stop on Monica’s Meet & Greet Tour as the new Executive Director of RAILS. BPL was thrilled to host Monica and her RAILS team. Those in attendance had thoughtful conversations about current library success and challenges and shared ideas for how RAILS could provide further support for their member libraries.

Community Partnership: McCully joined the local United Way Women United Leadership Group. “Women United is a group of women leaders who believe lasting change happens when we bring our unique passions and experiences to the table and work toward a common goal.” McCully feels this group will provide opportunities for her to connect with other business and community leaders in the Kankakee and Iroquois Areas, explore community issues, and volunteer for organizations and fundraising efforts that support local women and girls.

Advocacy: House Bill 2787 was drafted by new Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias to support public and school libraries against censorship challenges. This bill is supported by the Illinois Library Association, along with the Association of Illinois School Library Educators, Illinois Federation of Teachers, and NAACP-Springfield. McCully included a link from ILA’s website for Board members who would like to read more about this legislation.

Vacation: McCully will be on vacation from Monday, March 20-Monday, March 27. Any questions while McCully is gone may be directed to Assistant Director Brittaney Beck.

Committee Reports:

Personnel: Meeting is scheduled for Thursday, May 25, with BPL Supervisory Team in preparation for the Library Director’s Annual Evaluation.

Finance: None.

Policy: McCully will email Hendrick to schedule a meeting in May to review the entire Serving Our Public section and Legal Requirements 01-09 Organizational Chart. Building and Grounds: None.

Long Range Planning: None.

Unfinished Business:

Discuss Trustee Vacancy: McCully reported to the Board that the Director of the Illinois State Library, Greg McCormick, has checked in with BPL concerning the trustee vacancy and understands the vacancy will be posted after the April 4 Consolidated Election.

Ratify Flooring & Electrical Project Agreement: Stejkowski recused himself because of a conflict of interest and asked Vice-President Mary Kay Blankestyn to conduct this agenda item. McCully summarized the Special Board Meeting held March 15, 2023. Hendrick made a motion to ratify the flooring and electrical project agreement with PSI Inc. Hofman seconded the motion. Blankestyn, Hendrick, Hofman, and Smead voted yes. Stejkowski abstained. Trustee Stringer was absent.

Discuss Decennial Committees on Local Government Efficiency Act: Stejkowski reviewed the requirements of the Decennial Committees of Local Government Efficiency Act created by Public Act 102-1088. McCully discussed a template provided by RAILS (Reaching Across Illinois Library System) for compliance in reporting to the county board. McCully will present a full list of committee members at the April Board meeting and the committee will have its first meeting in June. Stejkowski has prepared resolutions for this committee and an agenda for each meeting. Both have been sent to McCully.

New Business:

Discuss & Approve BPL Staff Picnic: After a brief discussion, Stejkowski made a motion to approve the date and expenses for the Bourbonnais Public Library Picnic to be held at a pavilion at the Kankakee River State Park on Sunday, June 11. Hofman seconded the motion and it passed with a vote of all ayes. Trustee Stringer was absent.

Review BPL Book Club Principles: McCully reviewed a draft entitled Book Club Principles and shared that BPL regularly reviews and makes assessments of all book clubs. These Principles are guided by the library’s Strategic Plan and the BPL Serving Our Public Policies, and ALA Library Bill of Rights. Staff discusses what is working, what is not, etc. The Book Club Principles document will be used by library staff to review current practices and help guide the restructuring of all current book clubs.

Adjournment: Blankestyn made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 7:58 p.m. Smead seconded the motion and it passed with a vote of all ayes. Trustee Stringer was absent.

https://bourbonnaislibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/Minutes-3-20-2023.pdf