Cleveland Heights – University Heights Public Library Board of Trustees meeting highlights 1-18-22

JANUARY 18, 2022

 

  • Board resolutions
  • Director’s report
  • Public service report highlights

 

Present were President Dana Fluellen, Vice President Gabe Crenshaw, Patti Carlyle, Max Gerboc, Annette Iwamoto, Tyler McTeague, and Vikas Turakhia.

Board resolutions

At this meeting, the board:

  • Approved the slate of officers for the 2022 Board of Trustees: Gabe Crenshaw, President; Max Gerboc, Vice-President; and Vikas Turakhia, Secretary.
  • Adopted the 2022 planning calendar. Regular meetings of the Heights Libraries Board are held on the third Monday of each month (except January, the meeting is held on the third Tuesday) at 6:30 p.m. All board meetings will be held at the Lee Road Library except for the following dates: September 19 at Coventry Village Library Branch, October 17 at Noble Library Branch (assuming no construction), and November 21 at the University Heights Library Branch
  • Approved additional operational changes due to COVID virus. All programs for the public will remain on Zoom or be cancelled until further notice. Meeting rooms will remain closed until further notice. In addition to providing curbside services when requested, in-person services for reference, circulation, and use of study rooms are resumed while strictly enforcing a masking mandate as of January 19. The reduced hours for all buildings are Monday through Friday, 10-6; Saturday, 9-5; and Sunday, 1-5.

At a special board meeting held Dec. 22, 2021, the board decided not to renew the lease at 2843 Washington Blvd.

Director’s report

The Ohio Department of Health is temporarily adjusting its allocation strategy to ensure schools receive an adequate supply of at-home COVID test kits. As a result, the state is pausing shipments to other community partners, including libraries and local health departments, until inventory and the supply chain have stabilized.

The director thanked the whole staff for assisting with curbside delivery and phone reference during the end of December and early January in response to staffing shortages and the COVID surge.

Coventry library construction kicked off January 5.

To better support staff participation in the tuition reimbursement program this year, the library increased the annual maximum amount staff can request from $2,000 to $4,000 for full-time employees and $1,500 to $3,500 for part-time employees. These new reimbursement amounts are more in line with the current cost of tuition.

Public service report highlights

The Adopt-a-Reading-Buddy program was launched. Children adopted a plush buddy that they promised to love and read to every day. Each buddy was accompanied to their forever homes with a list of their favorite books and a reading log. When reading logs were completed and returned to the library, participants were entered in a drawing to receive a free book. This was a very popular event.

Take and Make kits for children continue to be popular, and the library debuted Take and Make kits for adults for the first time. University Heights branch manager Sara Phillip’s DIY Winter Centerpiece Kits attracted a lot of interest, with registration filling up within 36 hours of opening.

Youth services staff handed out 196 snacks to children and teens after school in December.

The next regular meeting will be Monday, Feb. 21, 6:30 p.m. at the Lee Road library.

LWV Observer: Elizabeth M. Tracy.

Information about the board, board meeting minutes and audio recordings of board meetings can be found at https://heightslibrary.org/locations/heights-libraries-board/

Read More on Library
Volume 15, Issue 3, Posted 9:38 AM, 02.08.2022