Cleveland Heights University Heights Library Board of Trustees meeting highlights
APRIL 15, 2024
- Presentation
- Financial report
- Board actions
- Personnel report
- Director’s report
- Public services report
Present were Vikas Turakhia (president), Annette Iwamoto (vice president), Dana Fluellen, Tyler McTigue, and Hallie Turnberrez. Patti Carlyle and Melissa Soto-Schwartz were not present. The meeting lasted 45 minutes.
Presentation
The board was at the HKIC (Heights Knowledge and Innovation Center) for a presentation/demonstration until 7 p.m.
Financial report
The board approved the financial and investment report for March 2024. Fiscal Officer Deborah Hermann reported a decrease in revenue this month from state taxes, which is not unusual for this time of year, but is of concern if the decrease persists over several months.
Board actions
The board:
- Approved technology fund expenditures for servers and laptops.
- Approved a 2024 amended permanent appropriation totaling $121,610.22.
- Approved an extended leave request for one staff member.
- Approved a salary grade move into a management level position for the strategic projects manager, noting the position’s principal grant writing role for the entire Heights Libraries and the accumulations over the past two years of additional duties similar to other public service managers.
- Recognized the retirement of Human Resource Manager, Laurie Marotta and her many contributions to the library during 22 years of service.
Personnel report
Salona Appalsamy was hired as the new human resource manager. Positions are now posted for the Noble Road Library opening.
Director’s report
Nancy Levin, director, thanked the staff for their planning and participation in all the eclipse events. They provided fascinating programs, distributed glasses, and helped with the crowds on the day of the eclipse. Many people experienced the eclipse at all three library locations.
National Library Week was celebrated April 8-12.
New public printers are being installed in all branches. Compliments have been received at University Heights branch on their color printer.
The library free speech policy was reviewed:
Heights Libraries does not endorse any speech made by outside groups in its meeting rooms. This includes political, social, religious, and partisan groups as well as groups that advocate or advance controversial ideas or disparage others. The provision of meeting room space to a group is not an endorsement of the group, its beliefs, or its speech.
Heights Schools Art Show began on April 9.
Friends mega book sale will be May 2-5.
The library foundation raised more than the $28,000 goal for the basketball court in the Coventry PEACE Park. An anonymous donor contributed $25,000 matching funds. Some of the funds raised came from generous friends at Cilantro Taqueria on Coventry and those that purchased food on March 27. The foundation received a $5,000 grant from the Hershey Foundation to support the pollinator garden at the park. The next big events will surround the groundbreaking on July 7.
PEACE park construction will commence on June 17. The park will be closed through December.
Public service report
The 2023 Specialty Teams Annual Report was reviewed. The teams include arts and entertainment, community needs, diversity, health and wellness, lifelong learning, and workforce development. The details of these reports will be found in the April 15 minutes. https://heightslibrary.org/locations/heights-libraries-board/board-minutes/ .
Adult services offered two informational programs: Total Solar Eclipse Preview on March 20, and Science Café: Solar Eclipse on March 26. Eclipse glasses were provided.
Four days of walk-in passport processing were provided during the public schools’ spring break.
Kate Gammons-Nardi, technology trainer, and Sam Norton, technology associate, presented “Zoom Basics and Essentials” to members of Antioch Baptist Church.
New equipment was received at HKIC including Waterproof Action Camera, 4-Way Focusing Rail Slider Aluminum Macro Close-up Stand, Auto Focus Macro Extension Tube Ring Set, Video lighting, Photo Backdrop, Portable Studio Light Boxes, and new cameras.
American Sign Language Storytime with Liliana Pokorny continues to be a popular program at the Coventry Branch.
The Coventry Branch is celebrating Ohio Deaf History Month, March 13- April 15 with the Ohio Deaf Friends of the Library. Ben Gulyas, deaf services librarian, has put together displays highlighting the library’s deaf collection.
Noble Branch will reopen June 2. The satellite location for the Noble branch (the BNH Building on Noble Road) will close at the end of business on April 30.
To cap off Women’s History Month, Youth services hosted the Case Western Reserve University Society of Women Engineers for a day of STEAM fun.
University Heights Branch had a variety of community members present programming, including a math professor, realtors, dog trainers, a history professor, and the Cuyahoga County Soil and Water Conservation District.
LWV Observers: Judith Beeler and Elizabeth 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/.