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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-21-26 LBT Agenda and Packet MaterialsA. Call meeting to order - 4:00 p.m. B. Changes to the Agenda C. Public Comments on Non-agenda Items Falling within the Purview and Jurisdiction of the Board D. Approval of Minutes D.1 Approval of Library Board Minutes from November 19, 2025 (Gregory) E. Action Items THE LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF BOZEMAN, MONTANA LBT AGENDA Wednesday, January 21, 2026 Bozeman Public Library is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting: Topic: Library Board of Trustees Meeting Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86065639677 Meeting ID: 860 6563 9677 One tap mobile +16699009128,,86065639677# US (San Jose) +16694449171,,86065639677# US Join instructions https://us02web.zoom.us/meetings/86065639677/invitations? signature=bTDlTWG5PlxPBQMsDvp2aIlGuo39BaltIF7KUCyn2h4 Please state your name and place of residence in an audible tone of voice for the record. This is the time for individuals to comment on non-agenda matters falling within the purview of the Committee. There will also be an opportunity in conjunction with each action item for comments pertaining to that item. Please state your name, and state whether you are a resident of the city or a property owner within the city in an audible tone of voice for the record and limit your comments to three minutes. Please limit your comments to three minutes. Approve as submitted 1 E.1 Library Staff Day- Wednesday May 6, 2026 (Gregory) F. Reports F.1 Director & Staff Reports / Correspondence (Gregory/Department Heads) F.2 Friends & Foundation Report(Johnson) F.3 Commission Liaison Update(Madgic) G. FYI/Discussion G.1 Children's Department renovation update(Newell) G.2 West Side Branch Feasibility study(Johnson) H. Adjournment For more information please contact Susan Gregory, sgregory@bozeman.net This board generally meets the 3rd Wednesday of the month from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. Committee meetings are open to all members of the public. If you have a disability and require assistance, please contact our ADA Coordinator, David Arnado, at 406.582.3232. In order for this Board to receive all relevant public comment in time for this meeting, please submit via the Public Comment Page or by emailing comments@bozeman.net no later than 12:00 PM on the day of the meeting. Public comment may be made in person at the meeting as well. 2 Memorandum REPORT TO:Library Board of Trustees FROM:Bozeman Public Library SUBJECT:Approval of Library Board Minutes from November 19, 2025 MEETING DATE:January 21, 2026 AGENDA ITEM TYPE:Minutes RECOMMENDATION:Approve as submitted STRATEGIC PLAN:1.1 Outreach: Continue to strengthen and innovate in how we deliver information to the community and our partners. BACKGROUND:Written record of key details discussed during the meeting, which includes actions taken and next steps. Minutes are the formal document that captures the date, time, attendees, agenda items, and any motions and actions taken. UNRESOLVED ISSUES:None ALTERNATIVES:N/A FISCAL EFFECTS:None Attachments: BPL Minutes, November 2025 Report compiled on: November 19, 2025 3 Bozeman Public Library Library Board of Trustees November 19, 2025 Minutes Attendance: Library Board Chair Ken Spencer, Trustees Pam Henley, Mike Long, Stew Mohr and Mike Redburn; Bozeman Public Library (BPL) Director Susan Gregory; Assistant Director Becky Kasten; Administrative Assistant Lauranna Cossins; Department Heads Carmen Clark, Ellie Newell, Ben Nielsen and Sarah Widger; Library Friends & Foundation Director Janay Johnson Not Present: Commission Liaison Jennifer Madgic Call to Order: Meeting was called to order by Board Chair Ken Spencer at 4pm. Public Comment- provided by Tom Burnett Tom Burnett addressed the Library Board, identifying himself and noting he was accompanied by his two granddaughters. He expressed concern about what he views as ideological conformity or a “monoculture” in the Bozeman Public Library’s nonfiction book purchasing. Based on his own review of new nonfiction lists, he believes the collection shows a strong ideological slant, with far more books reflecting left-progressive viewpoints than right-traditional ones. To support this, Burnett described using two different chatbots to analyze a list of new nonfiction books and assign ideological ratings. One chatbot found 15 books to be left or very left and one to be right or very right; another found 20 left or very left and two right or very right. He contrasted these findings with the Library’s “Freedom to Read” statement, arguing that the stated goal of providing a wide range of viewpoints is not being met in practice. Burnett emphasized that he did not want merely to complain but wanted action to better align Library purchasing with its stated ideals and the principles of librarianship. He then briefly raised a second issue, noting that, per his calculations, per-capita visitation at the Bozeman Public Library declined by about 40.7% from 2016 to 2020, and argued that such a decline does not justify expansion plans, particularly on the west end of town. Approval of the Minutes Action: Trustee Redburn moved to approve the Minutes from the Oct 15, 2025, Library Board meeting as submitted. Trustee Long seconded. There was no further discussion. The Board voted unanimously to approve the Minutes as submitted. 4 Action/ Discussions Item: Site Decision making- Trustee Redburn provided a draft outline for a policy or procedure for the Library Board to assist in making decisions related to the use of the Library Building and property. The process would involve one or more specially scheduled, facilitated Board work sessions lasting a total of two to three hours. These sessions would be planned and led by the Board of Trustees with an external facilitator. Participants would include the Trustees, the Library Director, a non-Library City official, the Library Friends and Foundation Executive Director, and potentially others suggested by Trustees. A neutral recorder would document the discussion. An initial orientation would review the session’s purpose and process, clarify the Board of Trustees legal authority, and examine the legal definition and boundaries of the Library site using a site map. The proposal recommends completing policy development and formal Board adoption by the end of the Trustees’ February 2026 meeting. Next steps are for Trustee Redburn, Board Chair Spencer and Library Director Gregory to continue discussion. Reports Correspondence Highlights presented by Director Gregory. “You should have a handout of all the sculptures and artists titles.” “In the creative labs, the 3D printer test project should be allowed to be chosen by the tester.” “It’d be great to have quiet hours and/or sensory friendly times when talking isn’t allowed and/or lights are dimmed.” “Have real Minecraft on the computers”. “Korean language culture books for kids please – Sage” “The Buffalo Bill portrait in the McLeod reading room is by Rosa Bonheur (name spelling correction) Thank you for a wonderful inspiring room.” Several book suggestions. Emailed comment- Patron registered their concern that the large windows may be a danger to birds; the Library staff should consider adding decals to help prevent birds from smacking into our huge glass windows. Director’s Report- Director Gregory provided her report to the Library Board prior to the meeting. Highlights from the Directors’ Report- “We continue to make progress on increasing Library security, the solar panel project is moving forward with a contractor picked and Facilities administration is working on getting the Library boilers replaced. Symbozium was a huge success with standing room 5 only attendance at the Museum of the Rockies auditorium. This civil discourse series continues to grow in popularity.” Department Reports provided in the Board packet prior to the meeting. Friends & Foundation Report – Director Johnson reported that the Library Gala was successful, generating a net return of just under $100,000. The Friends and Foundation members are looking at changing locations to the SUB at MSU next year. The feasibility study for a potential west branch project is nearly complete, with results expected in mid-December. Johnson suggested scheduling a discussion in January so Library Board members can review the consultants’ findings and provide input, noting that any decision about moving forward with construction would require broader consideration beyond just the Board. Commission Liaison Update – City Commissioner Madgic- Not present, no report provided. Meeting adjourned at 5:20pm by Chair Spencer. 6 Memorandum REPORT TO:Library Board of Trustees FROM:Bozeman Public Library SUBJECT:Library Staff Day- Wednesday May 6, 2026 MEETING DATE:January 21, 2026 AGENDA ITEM TYPE:Citizen Advisory Board/Commission RECOMMENDATION:Approve Library closure to the public STRATEGIC PLAN:1.1 Outreach: Continue to strengthen and innovate in how we deliver information to the community and our partners. BACKGROUND:All Library staff training day. Library closed to the public An all staff training day can benefit the library by improving employee knowledge, skills and overall performance, ultimately leading to increased productivity and reduced errors. It also fosters a culture of continuous learning, enhances employee morale and engagement, and can improve retention rates. UNRESOLVED ISSUES:None ALTERNATIVES:N/A FISCAL EFFECTS:None Report compiled on: January 14, 2026 7 Memorandum REPORT TO:Library Board of Trustees FROM:Bozeman Public Library SUBJECT:Director & Staff Reports / Correspondence MEETING DATE:January 21, 2026 AGENDA ITEM TYPE:Plan/Report/Study RECOMMENDATION:Updates & Review STRATEGIC PLAN:1.1 Outreach: Continue to strengthen and innovate in how we deliver information to the community and our partners. BACKGROUND:Departmental news & monthly highlights UNRESOLVED ISSUES:N/A ALTERNATIVES:N/A FISCAL EFFECTS:N/A Attachments: Adult Programming & Outreach January Board report Collection Mangement January Board Report Mobile Services Jan Board Report Youth Service January Board Reports Public Services January Board Report Report compiled on: January 14, 2026 8 APO Department Report December2025-January 2026 Program and Outreach Highlights Work Bench Survey Follow Up • The Authors and Books event with Michael McFaul exceeded our expectations with an overflowing community room (Liz). • Ben and Ellie attended presentations by graduate architecture students at MSU to give feedback on their library designs. The professor and students expressed appreciation for receiving perspective from real users. • Jazz in the Library returned and is once again a very popular program on Saturday afternoons (Liz and Leslie). • Liz and Carmen conducted outreach at the MSU library open house and received many positive comments about our Library. • Emily worked with the Foundation and MAP Brewery on book swap and outreach event at MAP. As requested by the board in December we have some further information on how we a using the data collected in the Work Bench Survey in October. We received many comments with different ideas for continuing to improve the makerspace service. Some suggestions we don’t have the ability to implement for safety or space reasons (ideas like adding a CNC machine, a second large laser, or resin printing). Many suggestions that came up multiple times we are able to take practical action on now or in the future, a few of these include: • Rearranging tables between the Work Bench and the Kitchen Table to get an adjustable table for sewing in both locations. • Adding additional intro to sewing classes in the Spring (thanks to our volunteer Peg) • Improving communication with patrons be starting a newsletter • Adding a second smaller laser so that Work Bench cards can be made without getting bottleknecked at the regular laser cutter. • Adding in office hours for David so patrons have a time to ask more advanced questions Many comments centered around machine downtime when repairs are necessary. Unfortunately, machine repairs are a reality of makerspace work. David does an excellent job at getting machines back up and running in a timely manner. There were suggestions about having back-up machines but cost and space concerns don’t allow for that currently. We hope that improved communication through the newsletter will help to mitigate frustration around these issues. On the note of machine repairs the laser cutter received heavy use through the holidays and is experiencing significant issues now. David has worked closely with the manufacture support team to troubleshoot these issues but they have exhausted their remote options. David is now considering options for sending it out for another repair or replacing the machine. While this is a frustrating experience, I do think this is a testament to just how success the Work Bench has had in these 2 years. Michael McFaul presents to a full house 9 The PITS software has proven invaluable to staff in the last several months. O T H E R N E W S : prepared by: Carmen Clark (Department Head Collection Management) COLLECTION MANAGEMENT REPORT JANUARY 2026 Statistics Highlight: This month I am sharing the statistics from our E-resource Newsbank (America’s News). Our subscription includes several image edition newspapers for both in-state and nationwide papers. The Bozeman Daily Chronicle is the most widely viewed paper. Usage numbers are for the years 2022-2025 (see other side). 10 11 Mobile Services Report November/December 2025 Summary Stop data: Total Stops: 102 Total Service Hours: 88. 5 Total Patrons: 1661 Programming Data*: Total Programs: 75 Outreach Storytimes Total Program Attendees: 1146 Birth-5, 0 Elementary Age Children, 1 Teens, 208 Adults. Total: 1355 *Some Data will overlap with Youth Services Report November and December were lighter months on the schedule overall with time off the road for the Veteran’s Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas holidays. Stops were also canceled for staff training on Thursday, December 4th. The bookmobile was scheduled for maintenance during the week of Thanksgiving, and this work ended up extending into the first week of December, causing stops on December 2nd and 3rd to be provided via the library’s SUV instead of the bookmobile. In preparation for January schedule changes, mobile services reached out in November to our current stop partners to discuss potential changes and adjustments that were being made and how each site may be affected. Feedback from partner organizations and service sites in preparation for this change was positive and understanding. The first three- week cycle (compared to the two-week cycle we had been operating) began on Monday, January 5th. Cows in the road on the way to Pass Creek School Lobby Stop at Cottonwood Day School 12 Elk herd seen from the Bookmobile on South Cottonwood Rd. 13 RENOVATION STATUS UPDATE YOUTH SERVICES B O Z E M AN P U B L I C LI B R A R Y J A NU A R Y 20 2 6 Based on public and staff feedback, the architects sketched threedifferent Children’s Room transformations with varying levels ofcomplexity and asked a contractor to price them out. All three of these transformation levels were at least $1M over budget. So we went back to the drawing board and boiled down what isessential to the project while keeping within our truly generous $1Mbudget. What we’re left with is A Very Good Thing. Very briefly, here’s what we’re looking at doing: New flooring throughout Staff area expanded,key tools added Collection to shift andshrink by 8%, reusingmuch of existing shelving Play areas relocatedto sunny north wall,distinct baby/tot,preschooler, and bigkid areas Designated STEAM zone Bathrooms remain in samespot; accessibility,breastfeeding, and child-friendly fixtures added Service desk to beplaced with good viewsto the HUB, collection,and play spaces Shorter shelves fordisplays, new items This door to BLFF bookstore no longerpublicly accessible,improves safety study/sensory/playimmersion space TBD tween zone;current row of desktopcomputers likely to bereplaced with laptopcheck outs New furniture withnon-porous, durableupholstery Entrance and magneticart piece unchanged N 1% for Art incorporatedthroughout Ceilings and lightingunchanged Acoustic panels added Children’s RenovationPublic Feedback Summarytinyurl.com/YSRenoFeedback 14 January 2026 Public Services Department Board Report Prepared by Sarah Widger, Department Head swidger@bozeman.net, 406-582-2403 (desk), 406-579-9271 (cell) December Returns December is one of the slower months for circulation, compared to summer, but there were still 29,671 items sent through the automated sorter in the last month! Volunteer Update The new volunteer positions (adopt-a-shelf, library laundry, children’s specific shelving, menders-in-training) have launched. Shout out to the BLFF team and the Book Sale Committee for their funding support for the necessary supplies. Already our new Library Laundry volunteer, Chloe, has garnered a huge “HURRAY” from YS staff member Robyn: Chloe brought the LEGO Club sheets to the laundromat after being told by several patrons “these smell like feet”. Libby Glitch At the tail end of December, Libby (MontanaLibrary2Go), fixed a glitch in their system that was allowing long- expired library card users to still access electronic resources. Fixing that glitch has brought many people back into the building to renew their cards! Some that had been expired since 2020! Hiring Update City of Bozeman Human Resources is working with the Library to hire for the vacant 0.375 FTE (15 hrs/week) Library Aide. Mystique, mentioned in the November Public Services board report, left her position at the end of November. The position closed for applications on January 11 and there were more than 40 applicants. 15 Memorandum REPORT TO:Library Board of Trustees FROM:Bozeman Public Library Friends & Foundation SUBJECT:Friends & Foundation Report MEETING DATE:January 21, 2026 AGENDA ITEM TYPE:Plan/Report/Study RECOMMENDATION:Discussion/Highlights STRATEGIC PLAN:7.3 Best Practices, Creativity & Foresight: Utilize best practices, innovative approaches, and constantly anticipate new directions and changes relevant to the governance of the City. Be also adaptable and flexible with an outward focus on the customer and an external understanding of the issues as others may see them. BACKGROUND:Standing item on the Library Board of Trustees agenda - Friends & Foundation provides an update of pertinent information for the Library. UNRESOLVED ISSUES:None ALTERNATIVES:None FISCAL EFFECTS:None Report compiled on: January 14, 2026 16 Memorandum REPORT TO:Library Board of Trustees FROM:City of Bozeman SUBJECT:Commission Liaison Update MEETING DATE:January 21, 2026 AGENDA ITEM TYPE:Plan/Report/Study RECOMMENDATION:Discussion-City of Bozeman Commission Updates STRATEGIC PLAN:7.3 Best Practices, Creativity & Foresight: Utilize best practices, innovative approaches, and constantly anticipate new directions and changes relevant to the governance of the City. Be also adaptable and flexible with an outward focus on the customer and an external understanding of the issues as others may see them. BACKGROUND:Standing item on the Library Board of Trustees agenda - City Commissioner Liaison provides an update of pertinent information for the Library. UNRESOLVED ISSUES:None ALTERNATIVES:None FISCAL EFFECTS:None Report compiled on: April 9, 2025 17 Memorandum REPORT TO:Library Board of Trustees FROM:Bozeman Public Library- Youth Services Department SUBJECT:Children's Department renovation update MEETING DATE:January 21, 2026 AGENDA ITEM TYPE:Citizen Advisory Board/Commission RECOMMENDATION:Review concept design STRATEGIC PLAN:5.1 Civic and Cultural Infrastructure: Expand Bozeman's civic and cultural "infrastructure" as the city grows. BACKGROUND:Design phase for children's renovation to occur in FY27 UNRESOLVED ISSUES:N/A ALTERNATIVES:None FISCAL EFFECTS:N/A Report compiled on: January 14, 2026 18 Memorandum REPORT TO:Library Board of Trustees FROM:Bozeman Public Library Friends and Foundation SUBJECT:West Side Branch Feasibility study MEETING DATE:January 21, 2026 AGENDA ITEM TYPE:Citizen Advisory Board/Commission RECOMMENDATION:Review Results STRATEGIC PLAN:1.1 Outreach: Continue to strengthen and innovate in how we deliver information to the community and our partners. BACKGROUND:Bozeman Public Library Friends and Foundation UNRESOLVED ISSUES:N/A ALTERNATIVES:N/A FISCAL EFFECTS:N/A Report compiled on: January 14, 2026 19