Library Board Minutes for Wednesday, September 10, 2025

Minutes of the Board of Trustees

September 10, 2025

MINUTES of the Annual meeting of the Pitkin County Library Board of Trustees on September 10, 2025. The meeting was called to order at 12:00 PM in the William R. Dunaway Community Room.

1. Roll Call:

Trustees Present:

✔ Pres. John Wilkinson (JW)
□ V.P. Elizabeth Nix (EN)
✔ Sec. Anna Lookabill Scott (ALS)
✔ Tres. Audrey Ellis (AE)
✔ Ashley Connolly (AC)
✔ Austine Stitt (AS)
✔ Elizabeth Stewart-Severy (ES-S)

Alternate Present:

✔ Chris Keleher (CK) – Voting Member

Staff Present:

✔ Genevieve Smith (GS), PC Librarian
✔ Anna Steinberg, Assistant to PC Librarian
✔ Racheal Bielinski, PC Young Adult & Technical Services Librarian
✔ Jodie Grady, PC Assets Director

2. Approval of Minutes for August 13, 2025

Moved by Austine Stitt 2nd by Ashley Connolly

Passed by the Board, unanimously

3. Public Comment:

• None

4. Trustees Comments & Librarian’s Report:

Trustee Comments-

• John Wilkinson questioned the timing of security guards on minutes- but it was correct.
• Additionally, he announced that IMLS (the funding entity for libraries and museums) has been
  reinstated in the national budget due to pressure from constituents.

Librarian’s Report-

• Friends of the Library Letter went out and got a quick response from constituents with
  donations
• Strategic Planning Consultant Selection, Budget adjustments, Trustee Participation:
  • Two competitive bids- the committee selected Library Strategies as our partner, as their
    approach aligned with the Library most closely
  • The budget was for $25,000, but the bid with travel is $34,867 and could go as high as $58,227 with add-ons.
  • Board asked to consider the added budget costs- see below for vote
  • Trustee roles- seeking volunteers to serve on a committee which would include
    reviewing and determining the scope of work, schedule, timeline & milestones,
    expectations for check-ins, steering committee recruitment, and reviewing preliminary
    materials.
• AMF & School Partnership - A thank-you letter was sent to them on behalf of the Board.
• County Employee Picnic:
  • Wednesday, September 24th, 11:30-1:30- requesting closure of library between 11:15
    to 1:45 so that all staff can attend
  • Moved by Anna Lookabill Scott 2nd by Chris Keleher
  • Passed by the Board, unanimously
• AV Replacement RFP Update:
  • The AV bid RFP was released on August 15th, with final
    proposals due on September 16th. The committee, made up of staff will review the proposals
    once submitted and selection made. A few items included were Use Cases for rooms that
    modernized them for current technologies and future flexibility. Anna Steinberg is part of the
    staff team for selecting a bid.
• Library Open House: September 11th 4-6 pm
  • The board should try to be there! Live music, food, and amazing staff will be on hand.
• Harvest for Hunger Update:
  • Since its inception at the Library, over 680 pounds have been
    distributed with minimal issues for Library staff – an update indicates that 1,090 meals have
    been distributed.
• Colorado Association of Libraries Annual Conference- September 3-5
  • Brings Librarians together from all over the state for professional development,
    networking, and connectivity. Genevieve met with Legislators and attended some
    disaster planning seminars, among many others.
• LX Starter Notification System:
  • A new patron notification system has been implemented for overdue books, billing, and
    replacement
  • Out of 779 notices sent, over 73% were opened and only 3% bounced back, which is a
    good starting point.
• Building Update:
  • There was a gas leak detected and remedied immediately
  • Concern about a specific area around the exterior of the library experiencing serial
    human excrement situation- as per policy only Genvieve has access to the surveillance
    cameras which have been adjusted to see if a culprit can be determined.

5. Old Business-

• PCL Governance Q & A: Tabled-
• Presented by Jodie Grady, PC Assets Director
  • Costs for the project have increased considerably due to a few issues, including City Codes that
    were encountered in the execution process. Gas Boilers had to be put on hold while a new plan
    of action is being pursued with various possibilities. Jodie will present to the BOCC on
    Tuesday, Sept. 16th to get direction on next steps and will present to the PCLB once there is
    some clarification. The Board was adamant that the Library had waited 10 years beyond gas boiler replacement, and we could have seen reductions from emissions during that time with
    boilers that were more efficient.
• Barriers Update: Presented by Jodie Grady, PC Assets Director
  • A new packet with options for barriers around the front side of the Library was presented to the
    Board. It was clarified that PC would be footing the bill as part of their asset protection plan that
    includes the other PC buildings. The Board will have some say on the designs but will
    ultimately be a PC project. The majority of the Board was in favor of moving forward after
    getting clarification on the cost share concerns.
• Access Control/ Badge Readers Update: Presented by Jodie Grady, PC Assets Director
  • Badge readers will be replaced within the month, with a few additional readers and a manual
    override included as requested. There should be minimal disruptions to Library operations, and
    all precautions will be put into place so the Library is always secured beyond open hours.
• Budget Approval for Strategic Planning Consultant
  • Audrey made a motion to move forward with a contract with SP Consultant with the
    understanding that the contract would not exceed $50,000 and would include clarification on
    optional add-ons.
    Moved by Audrey Ellis 2nd by Ashley Connolly
  • Passed by the Board, unanimously
• Volunteer Board Members for Strategic Planning Committee Action:
  • John & Chris volunteered with back-up from Ashley & Anna

6. New Business-

• Closure Permission (see Librarian’s Report): Approved.
• 2026 Budget- First Reading- Tabled

7. Review Future Meetings Schedule 2025

• October 8 (John will not be able to attend), November 12, December 10

8. Adjourned @ 1:27 PM

Moved by Ashley Connolly 2nd by Audrey Ellis