HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-04-2023 Fairhope Public Library Board of Trustees MinutesFairhope Public Library Board of Trustees
Regularly scheduled Meeting on Monday, December 4, 2023
Giddens Conference Room
Called to Order at 4:00 by Board Chair Anne Johnson
ATTENDANCE: Anne Johnson, Debra Langham, Dan Stankoski, Randal Wright, Andy Parvin, Jimmy Conyers, and Tamara Dean. Also present for the meeting were 10 observers.
MINUTES: Minutes from the regularly scheduled October 16meeting were unanimously approved.
REPORTS: Monthly Statisticals were reviewed and the increase in library attendance was noted.Employee Report: Briget Sledge, new administrative assistant for library director; noted
that Susan Diemert, Head of the Technical Support Department will have been employed by the library for 30 consecutive years in February. We will recognize her at the February meeting.
Financial Statement was reviewed, November statement being the first of the new fiscal year with new salaries in effect. A motion was made to accept the three reports, seconded and
passed unanimously.
NEW BUSINESS: 1) Randal Wright reported on the progress of the upstairs renovation. While a contractor had been selected, the city is now reviewing the policy for the bidding procedure
to determine if it needs to follow their guidelines. The Friends of the Fairhope Library is considered a private customer and the city now says that the bid process must follow the
city’s rules. Meetings and decisions to be made in the future.
OLD BUSINESS: 1) A review of the public participation form determined that the form should require speakers to live in Baldwin County. This revision was discussed, a motion made to
accept the revision, seconded and voted unanimously. 2) Director Dean reminded Board members of the 3 patrons who had submitted 14 reconsideration forms to have books moved from the
young adult section to the adult section of the library. She then described the lengthy, in depth process performed by experienced librarians that was conducted to determine the outcome
for each reconsideration. Each book was read, research was conducted to find professional reviews for each book, and discussions were facilitated for each book. The final decision for
book reconsiderations is the responsibility of the Director. Basing the decision on the extensive work done by professional librarians, Director Dean recommended that all of the booksshould
remain in their current location and no bookswould be moved or removed from the library. 3) A motion was made to accept Director Dean’s recommendation; seconded and passed unanimously.
Chairperson Anne Johnson spoke briefly to clarify a misunderstanding of many individuals in the community. Unlike many libraries in the county, Fairhope Public Library operates independently
of the City of Fairhope. The library is not a department of the city. The Board of Trustees do review Policies and Procedures for the library and can, if needed, help revise those
policies and procedures.
Meeting adjourned at 4:20 with a reminder that our next meeting in February will be in the Giddens Auditorium.
The meeting ended at 4:35 following public comments from 5 citizens.
Respectfully Submitted,
Randal H. Wright