The Library Board met on 5/11/2022. Our main topic of discussion was a new term structure for Boards and Commissions members that streamlines all appointments to be at the same time each year (special circumstances not withstanding).

Additionally, the board was educated on procedure surrounding messages left in books. Occasionally, discriminatory or inflammatory commentary (pieces of paper, images, etc) is left in the library or inserted into books. Our staff does both focused and periodic sweeps to police this, but if you or your children encounter anything, please let library staff know immediately so that they can do a focused review of literature in that books area as well as check cameras to find the perpetrator.

The Library Board met on 3/2 to discuss programming and building updates. Additionally, our library won the Achievement in Library Excellence award from the Texas Municipal Library Directors Association. A huge shoutout to our staff for that.

The Library Board also voted to recommend eliminating Library Fines. There is a large body of research that states fines are a hinderance to low-income households borrowing books or using the library. Though Library Fines brought in $134,000 in revenue in 2016, that number has steadily decreased over the years to the point where they only bring in about $34,000. This barely covers the cost of administering the fine program itself. Additionally, most large cities in the DFW area have eliminated fines.

This is a change for equity that I was happy to see our Library Board implement.

The Library Board met on 1/12/2022 - there are some exciting activities coming up! Some of you might not know this, but although I have two graduate degrees in business, my undergraduate degree was actually in history. Appropriately, I'm very excited for our upcoming Lunchtime Lectures, which mostly focus on historical figures, historical trends, and how to access historical places. I hope to attend at least two of them. Please check out the uploaded files for more info on these and other upcoming Library events. 

The Library Board went over the protocol for book challenges, reviewed our selection criteria, and discussed current circulation numbers. Despite Omicron, we are getting back to normal attendance. I continue to be impressed with the number of people who use the Library. As a reminder, major upcoming renovations will probably mean an August move-out date for most library functions. Once that happens, it is estimated that we will not be fully back in our library building space for around two years.