Pahrump Community Library
Minutes of the August 11, 2025 Meeting
1. Call to Order
Meeting called to order at 10:04 a.m.
2. Members Roll Call
In Attendance: Secretary Kelly Green, Trustee Dee Mounts, Vice-Chair Michael Runion, Chair John Shewalter, Assistant Director Shanna Gibbons, and Margaret Foley from the District Attorney’s Office. Absent were Trustee Matt Morris and Director Kimberly Thomas.
Chair Shewalter states that Margaret Foley is sitting in for Michelle Nelson from the District Attorney’s Office, and Assistant Director Gibbons is sitting in for Director Thomas.
3. Pledge of Allegiance
The Pledge of Allegiance was led by a member of the public addressed as Miss Sherry.
4. GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT: (*Action will NOT be taken on matters considered during this period until specifically included on an agenda as an action item.)
Chair Shewalter opens public comment.
There are no comments.
Public comment is closed.
5. Trustee/Director/Liaison Comments – This item is limited to announcements, brief discussions of public comments, correction of factual inaccuracies, direction to staff, or topics proposed for future board meetings. (Lengthy deliberation of topics not on the agenda is prohibited by the Nevada Open Meeting Law.)
Assistant Director Gibbons – No Comment.
Trustee Green – She states that she has been discussing with the director the possibility of coordinating with the school district and college libraries. School libraries don’t always have everything that students need, and our library may have resources that may help bridge that gap. If we go with the system that we will be talking about later today, it may help teachers and students towards educational goals. She would also like to see the library coordinate with the local college, and believes they do not have a library of their own. She states that they also discussed getting a short list of the most popular authors in both the children’s and adult sections, so that we may bring in a visiting author in the future. She has contacted authors regarding fees and has found out that they can Zoom in, which will be less expensive. She also wanted to make the board aware that with the closing of the Institute of Museums and Library Services in Washington, resulting in the ending of grant support, Nevada libraries will lose approximately $10 million in funding that is used to support statewide online databases and other services, such as library loans. We won’t know how much cost to our library, but it could be in the 10s of thousands of dollars.
Trustee Mounts – No comment.
Vice-Chair Runion – No comment.
Chair Shewalter – He commented to Margaret Foley that the DA’s office is the liaison now, and asked her if she had any comments.
Margaret Foley – No comments.
6. Approval of August 11, 2025 Agenda (Non-action item)
Item 7 is struck as there are no emergency items.
Without objection, the August 11, 2025 agenda is approved.
7. For Possible Action: Emergency Items
There are no emergency items.
8. For Possible Action: Discussion and deliberation to approve or amend and approve the meeting minutes for July 14, 2025.
Vice-Chair Runion made a motion to approve the meeting minutes for July 14, 2025.
Trustee Green seconds.
There is no public comment.
There are no comments from the board.
Chair Shewalter calls the question to approve the meeting minutes for July 14, 2025.
The measure passes 4-0 with one absent.
9. Presentation: Treasurer’s Report by Kim Thomas for discussion of monthly expenditures and revenue for June 2025 through July 2025.
Assistant Director Gibbons reviewed the monthly expenditures for July 2025, along with the Capital Projects and Credit Card breakdown. She reviewed the reimbursements that will be deducted from the Petty Cash.
Trustee Green – No comment.
Trustee Mounts – No comment except she is jealous of the hula hoops.
Vice-Chair Runion – He states that he would not mind a negative balance on his credit card.
Chair Shewalter – He agrees with Trustee Mounts that they missed out on balloons, hula hoops, and face painting.
10. Discussion and deliberation to approve or amend and approve payment vouchers for July 2025 through August 2025.
Chair Shewalter made a motion to approve the payment vouchers for July 2025 through August 2025.
Trustee Green seconds.
Chair Shewalter calls for Public Comment.
Caroline Logue – She states that she would like to see if the backup material could be available online, as well as in person. She asks if it is worded just for the staff, or if it is for the public as well.
There are no comments from the board.
Chair Shewalter calls the question.
The measure passes 4-0 with one absent.
11. Presentation: Librarian’s Report by Kim Thomas for discussion on library activity for July 2025 through August 2025. Report activities include patron traffic, books checked out, books returned, fees collected, online story time, STEAM, internet use, website usage and materials added.
Assistant Director Gibbons presented the Librarian’s Report Statistics for July 2025.
Chair Shewalter – He asks about the line items being different on last year’s report in comparison to this year’s report.
Assistant Director Gibbons – She states that Director Thomas has asked to make changes to the form to reflect a better count of total stats being reported on.
Trustee Green – She has a question about 1,144 checkouts being the same for June and July on Overdrive.
Assistant Director Gibbons – She states that it is possible that they are the same, but will double-check on the totals.
Trustee Mounts – No comment.
Vice-Chair Runion – No comment.
Chair Shewalter – He states that he is glad to see the patron count bouncing back quickly.
12. Discussion and deliberation to approve or reject 1) charging a debit/credit card fee for Library transactions and 2) determine the fee charged.
Chair Shewalter makes a motion to approve charging a debit/credit card fee for library transactions, and authority for what fees to be charged to be given to the library director.
Vice-Chair Runion seconds.
Chair Shewalter opens public comment.
Ann Underdahl – She states that many places charge a fee because they can affect the bottom line of a business. Banks charge both the customer and the business fees, and as a former business owner, she knows how expensive it can get. She also states that the public is used to paying those fees at many businesses, and there is a choice on whether to go with a percentage or a flat fee. Most customers like to appreciate knowing what the fees are ahead of time, and if we charge a percentage, it would be nice to have it a little less than what the bank charges as a courtesy.
Caroline Logue – She states that it should be transparent for the public to know what the fee will be. She uses the library services and doesn’t mind paying the charges, but would like to know what they will be beforehand.
Chair Shewalter makes clarification that this is only for the credit card fees and that the other fees will be addressed on the next agenda item.
Chair Shewalter – He states that, as a former business owner, that credit and debit fees are part of the environment, and you have to take them, or you are going to cut off a lot of revenue. He states that he doesn’t think the library needs to absorb those fees, and neither do the consumers, because they understand that it is already factored into the product that you are buying. His motion is giving the authority of the fees charged to the director, and if the director has a different thought, she manages the budget, and he will respect her decision. He states allow the fee to be charged and allow the director to make the decision.
Vice-Chair Runion – He states that he knows from running a business at the cigar lounge that they are capped at 4% federally, and the fee per NRS cannot exceed the merchant’s cost. A notice has to be posted at the point of entry, point of sale, and on the receipt. He states that it is an industry standard and wants to make sure we are complying.
Chair Shewalter – He states that he agrees, and if we are not, Director Thomas should have a discussion with the District Attorney’s Office.
Trustee Mounts – She yields to Assistant Director Gibbons.
Assistant Director Gibbons – She states she has some notes to read from Director Thomas.
Chair Shewalter – He asks Assistant Director Gibbons to hold off on her comments, and asks Trustee Mounts if she has any comments.
Trustee Mounts – She states she believes in not absorbing the cost, but would just do the flat 3% because that is what everybody else is doing.
Trustee Green – She agrees that it should be a flat fee.
Assistant Director Gibbons – She reads some notes from Director Thomas. She reads that the system automatically applies 3% for the credit cards. For the debit cards, we would have separate signage, and we would have to manually add a fee. It is illegal for financial institutions to charge to use a debit card, and Clover charges us 1.75%, plus $.25 for debit card charges, so $.25, $.30, or $.50 covers debit card fees. 1.75% is $.17 on every $10.00. The 2008 Graham Laley Act prevents financial institutions from adding fees to debit cards.
Chair Shewalter – He states that whether it is an included charge or a separate charge, the director would have to decide the fees.
Chair Shewalter – He reminds a member of the public that public comment is closed.
Chair Shewalter asks if there are any more comments from the board.
There are no comments.
Chair Shewalter calls the question.
The measure passes 4-0 with one absent.
13. Discussion and deliberation to determine who is authorized to set the fees for library services.
Chair Shewalter asks if there is backup for the item.
Assistant Director Gibbons – She states no.
Chair Shewalter asks if there is a fee schedule.
Assistant Director Gibbons – She states that there is a fee schedule in our policies.
Chair Shewalter asks the board and the public if there is any interest in seeing the schedule, and we are setting who is going to be authorized to set the fee schedule.?
There is no interest, and Chair Shewalter continues.
Caroline Logue – She states that she is confused about the two agenda items regarding fees.
Chair Shewalter – He clarifies that item 12 is whether the library is to charge debit and credit card fees, and who would determine that fee. Item 13 is to determine who will set the schedule of fees for library services.
Caroline Logue – She thanks Chair Shewalter for the clarification and asks how they can decide on the fees if they cannot see them. She suggests putting the item on the next meeting for clarity and transparency.
Chair Shewalter makes a motion to authorize the library director to set fees for library services.
Trustee Mounts seconds.
Chair Shewalter opens public comment.
Lora Stewart – She states that when she comes to the library, she is already paying for services, and is this separate from what is already being done?
Chair Shewalter – He states no.
Dave Ochenreider – He agrees that the library Director should set the fees with oversight from the board.
Public comment is closed.
Chair Shewalter – He clarifies that the last item was for determining card fees, and this item is to determine who sets the fee schedule for services that the library provides. He states that even if the board was going to set the fees, they couldn’t, because it was not on the agenda. He believes that the library director should set them, because it is a day-to-day operation of the library. Director Thomas brought to his attention that she cannot change them without making an agenda item and getting a decision from the board before she can update them.
Vice-Chair Runion – He states that he has faith in Director Thomas to decide.
Trustee Mounts – No comment.
Trustee Green – She states that her mother is a former library director and that she decided whether fees needed to go up. In other libraries around the country, it’s the director’s job to decide, and she agrees.
Chair Shewalter – He states that he heard comments about letting Director Thomas run the library, and this is his part of doing that.
Chair Shewalter calls the question.
The measure passes 4-0 with one absent.
14. Discussion and deliberation to approve or reject access to employee areas to “authorized personnel only” i.e. Staff, volunteers, board members and legal counsel.
Chair Shewalter makes a motion to approve access to employee areas to “authorized personnel only,” i.e., Staff, volunteers, board members, and legal counsel.
Trustee Mounts seconds.
Chair Shewalter opens public comment.
Dave Ochenreider – He agrees with the motion, but also thinks that there will be times when the library will need to have a service person or a guest with employee supervision.
Helen Schneider – She states that sometimes she speaks to the Youth Librarians and Head Librarian, and doesn’t want to feel like she can’t talk to them.
Public comment is closed.
Chair Shewalter closes public comment.
Chair Shewalter – He states there is a problem with people walking into employee areas where they are trying to work. It’s disruptive, it could be a problem with insurance. Family and friends just walk into the back, the director has issues with it, and he agrees.
Authorized personnel could include an authorized guest or service person, but family and friends are not going to be permitted anymore if this item passes. He states he is unsure if someone falls and gets hurt, it would be a problem with insurance, and this area includes the lunchroom.
Vice-Chair Runion – He believes it’s a good idea to be preventative to someone who may be causing a problem, and might need to be trespassed. It’s a good addition to the policy changes.
Trustee Mounts – She states that she brought this to Assistant Director Gibbons’ attention when she was Acting Director. She noticed people in the back, and it’s not good. In regard to Ms. Schneider’s concerns, all you have to do is go to the desk and ask for help. She states that now we have security cards and codes for the back, and that she agrees.
Trustee Green - She states that she agrees in principle, but she would like to see wording changed to persons being accompanied by a staff member to be allowed.
Chair Shewalter – He states that this is not just to give staff, volunteers, board members and legal counsel, this is to provide for authorized personnel only. If someone asks to see a staff member, and they say, “Let’s meet in my office”, that is authorized. They need to be brought back by a staff member.
Trustee Green – She states she was asking for clarification on the wording.
Chair Shewalter – He states it is clarified to authorized personnel only.
Margaret Foley – She agrees that authorized personnel, sounds like only people who work at the library. She suggests that it could also say, authorized guests.
Chair Shewalter – He asks Ms. Foley if we should revisit this and make a list.
Margaret Foley – She states, not a list.
Chair Shewalter – He states that he thought this was simple. He adds that if someone comes to see the director, and she says come into my office, brings them into the back, that’s authorized. He states what if we make a list and forget to put somebody on there.
Margaret Foley – She states that she is not making an issue of the “authorized”, it’s the “personnel”, on whether it covers a person that works here, rather than a service person or a guest.
Chair Shewalter – He asks that “personnel” excludes anyone who was invited to the back by a staff member?
Margaret Foley – She states, possibly because they are not personnel, they are just people.
Chair Shewalter asks for her suggestion.
Margaret Foley – She states “authorized access only”.
Chair Shewalter – He states he can’t because that is not how the item is written, it is approve or reject.
Margaret Foley – She suggests tabling the item.
Chair Shewalter – He states he does not want to do that after discussions with Michelle Nelson on tabling items.
Chair Shewalter withdraws his motion and asks Trustee Mounts if she will withdraw the second.
Trustee Mounts – She states that she does not want to withdraw her second.
Chair Shewalter changes his mind on withdrawing his motion, and the motion stands. He asks Trustee Green for her comment.
Trustee Green – She states that she just wanted to clarify the language that an “authorized guest”, also be put into the language because she agrees with Ms. Foley. There may be times when a guest will need to go back there, and then would violate this policy the way it’s written. Her problem was with the language, not the idea behind it.
Chair Shewalter – He states that this agenda and all other agendas get approved. He asks Ms. Foley if she was the one to look over the current agenda.
Margaret Foley – She states she was not the person to approve it, and she believes that Ms. Nelson was the one.
Chair Shewalter - He states that if there were an issue with it, he believes Ms. Nelson would have corrected it. He is going to leave it up to the director to determine who those people may or may not be. If somebody says “Come on back”, and they shouldn’t be there, then Director Thomas can let them know they are not allowed. These are day-to-day operations, and he is going to leave it up to her.
Chair Shewalter calls the question.
Trustee Green – She abstains from the question.
The motion passes 3-1, with one abstinent and one absent.
15. Discussion and deliberation to continue, suspend, or terminate providing internet “hotspots”.
Chair Shewalter makes a motion to terminate providing internet “hotspots”.
Trustee Mounts seconds.
Chair Shewalter – He clarifies that if one of the board members makes a motion or seconds a motion, it is not necessarily in support of something or opposing something, but without these two actions, we can’t have a discussion at all. He is grateful to the board members, even though they might not agree with the motion, they second, so that we can have the discussion.
Chair Shewalter opens public comment.
Ann Underdahl – She states that not having hotspots affects our community, with over 522 families homeschooling in the last 10 years. It impacts homeschoolers, seniors, and people who may be traveling. The library does not give them out for free, and she believes that the library charges $50.00 for six months. When the unit is returned, the $50.00 is returned. She adds that there are organizations that help subsidize libraries that support seniors and the public using hotspots. She states that she is against the library getting rid of the hotspots for our community.
Caroline Logue – She states she is concerned that we are taking services away from the community. For transparency of the agenda item, she suggests that online posting would be appreciated if there were a link to the backup. She asks if Director Thomas is in favor of this agenda item and eliminating this service.
Public comment is closed
Chair Shewalter – He states that this item was not at the request of Director Thomas, and he is the one who added it to the agenda. He believes it is an unnecessary expense to the library. The library already provides free internet service to the public. The library gives back the $50.00 when they return the device, so it is an expense. He states he drives a truck all over the country, and he parks his truck and uses free internet whenever he needs it. He understands that patrons may not be able to afford internet, but it is not the library’s responsibility. The backup report on page 30 shows January 1, 2024, to December 31, 2024, we had 74 adults and 35 children in a year. He states that if he is interested in providing service to anyone, it would be the children, not adults. For 35 children, we spend $498.00 a month, almost $6,000 a year. It’s $170.75 a year to each of those 35 students, and he doesn’t think this is a cost that the library should pay. He states that if you are one of the 75 who want internet, except seniors on a fixed income, that they can go get a job. Parents can bring their kids down, or they can ride their bikes for the internet. He asks Assistant Director Gibbons if there is 24-hour Wi-Fi at the library.
Assistant Director Gibbons – She states that it is only during library hours and that it is turned off at night.
Chair Shewalter – He states that the internet is available at the library during operating hours.
Vice-Chair Runion – He states that he agrees that it is a significant cost, and we already provide Wi-Fi. There are programs available for low-cost internet service, and there are other ways that the library can get this service without bearing the cost. Grant money might not be available, and we should be ahead of the game.
Trustee Mounts – She states that it is a useless bill for the library when we already provide Wi-Fi for public use.
Trustee Green – She states that she opposes the motion and that there should be equal access to everyone. It is a library’s responsibility. She agrees that the hotspots have not been adequately used because they have not been promoted. Nearly 18% of households in the community do not have internet access. People use them for telehealth and job interviews, and we may not want them to come into the library for those purposes. They should have the privacy to do that in their own homes. Adults check hotspots out for two weeks at a time, and students check them out for a quarter. She suggests waiting a year before eliminating them and vigorously promoting them. She has never seen them promoted, and libraries across America do provide them. Providing equal access to everyone does not mean that they have to come into the library. Some people cannot come in physically, but can send someone to check out a hotspot to use in the privacy of their own home. Again, she suggests waiting a year, promoting them, and then decide what to do.
Assistant Director Gibbons – She reads some notes from Director Thomas clarifying that last month’s voucher had the wrong amount on it, and the actual monthly amount for the hotspots is $498.00 a month, for 30 devices. She confirms that the Adult hotspots check out for two weeks, and the student hotspots for nine weeks (one quarter of school).
Chair Shewalter – He asks how the hotspots are promoted.
Assistant Director Gibbons – She states there is signage around the library, and on the Facebook page.
Chair Shewalter – He asks what kind of restrictions are on the hotspots.
Assistant Director Gibbons – She states the adult hotspots are open, and the children’s hotspots have to be checked out by a parent, and they are filtered so they cannot look up things that are not appropriate.
Chair Shewalter – He asks what kind of things are filtered.
Assistant Director Gibbons – She states guns, sexual content, and keywords.
Chair Shewalter – He asks if pornography is restricted.
Assistant Director Gibbons – She states yes.
Chair Shewalter – He states “guns”.
Assistant Director Gibbons – She states “guns”, or “how to build a bomb”.
Chair Shewalter – He states, “okay I can see that”. He adds what if I’m a kid and want to look up gun safety, and can’t. The restrictions do not apply to the adult hotspots.
Assistant Director Gibbons – She states that they have an open Wi-Fi, just like if you were to share a hotspot on a phone.
Chair Shewalter - He asks if the restrictions can be placed on the adult hotspots like they are on the student hotspots.
Assistant Director Gibbons – She states yes, and there are different levels of security. She states that Director Thomas was looking at other vendors, with one company that had different levels of security.
Trustee Mounts – She asks if there is more cost.
Assistant Director Gibbons – She is unsure, but doesn’t think that it costs any more to have them filtered.
Trustee Green – She states it is not our business to filter what adults use the hotspot for.
Chair Shewalter – He states that she has a good point, and just lost his willingness to go with her reason.
Trustee Green – She states that the Facebook posts don’t always work. She went to the page and the last 9 posts that never showed up on her feed, and we need to promote beyond Facebook. She states that Instagram, newspapers, TV stations, and the radio are where the library needs to be promoted.
Chair Shewalter – He states he does not do social media because it is not social. He asks Trustee Green if she is suggesting television and radio commercials.
Trustee Green – She states the television station and radio station are looking for content, and they could do interviews with staff. She has spoken to Director Thomas about a column about our services that patrons might not know about, including hotspots.
Chair Shewalter – He states he is opposed to anything that adds more cost.
Trustee Mounts – She states we gave the director authority to take care of the advertising and marketing, and they have been working on two 15-minute podcasts that will include all of the services. She states that there is already an ad in the paper with some of the services the library provides. She has asked the editor at the Pahrump Valley Times to come in and do a story on the services, especially on Tales with Pebbles, because there is a story behind it.
Chair Shewalter – He asks if she was going to integrate the hotspots on that advertising.
Trustee Mounts – She states she was talking about the advertising because Trustee Green was talking about the hotspots needing more advertising. She states Director Thomas will get to it because she works all the time.
Chair Shewalter – He agrees that Director Thomas works a lot.
Trustee Mounts – She states she is willing to help Director Thomas whenever she needs it.
Chair Shewalter – He states that we are $63 trillion in debt as a nation, and the government is never going to stop spending money. Lots of grants are available for just about anything, including hotspots. He has recommended to Director Thomas the possibility of hiring someone exclusively to work on grants, or assigning a current staff member, if funds do not allow it. He states that Trustee Green almost swayed him until she said, “You provide the hotspot and mind your own business.” He states that if he provides a hotspot for his adult daughter and wants to restrict pornography, then it is his business. He does not believe that the library should provide hotspots to the public so they can look at adult content all day. He states that he will vote with her (Trustee Green) if she leaves the First Amendment alone, and that the board direct library staff to find grants, and to apply the same restrictions on the student hotspots, to the adult hotspots. Give it a year, and see what we get.
Trustee Green – She states an example of a woman in the school district library looking up breast cancer could not because the word “breast” was blocked. She also states that when she was speaking about advertising, she was not referring to paying for it, she was speaking about getting the word out to the media outlets. The ad in the paper is little, it’s boring, and it’s the same stuff every week. We need to do better at promoting our services. She states that she has also been speaking with Director Thomas since January about ideas for promoting the library. Podcasts are great if you listen to them, but some people don’t.
Chair Shewalter – He states that Trustee Green is passionate about her views on the hotspots. However, there is a fire lit for the library staff to look for grants so the library would no longer have to pay $6,000 a year to put 35 students on the internet and 74 adults. The adult’s hotspots should have the same restrictions as the student hotspots. He asks Trustee Green if she agrees, then he will vote with her.
Trustee Green – She states she doesn’t think we should be the “thought police” with adults. She understands that people look up disgusting stuff, but people are also looking up legitimate things. She states that it is a 1st amendment issue.
Chair Shewalter – He states he will mind his own business.
Trustee Mounts – No comment.
Vice-Chair Runion – No comment.
Chair Shewalter – He states to Trustee Green, “You lost me, Kelly”.
Chair Shewalter calls the question.
The measure passes 3-1 with one absent.
Chair Shewalter – He makes a comment for the record for Director Thomas to get some grants going, and that his objection was the cost.
16. Discussion and deliberation to set a start date for the new library hours.
Chair Shewalter made a motion to set a start date for the new library hours to August 18, 2025.
Vice-Chair Runion – He states that he will second if he can verify what the new hours are.
Chair Shewalter – He asks Assistant Director Gibbons what the new hours will be.
Assistant Director Gibbons – She states Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Vice-Chair Runion seconds.
Chair Shewalter opens public comment.
There are no public comments.
Chair Shewalter – He states that last month the board voted to return the original hours without a start date, but they were not implemented due to some questions raised by Director Thomas. By having a start date, it will give her an opportunity to get things squared away, and that is why he chose the date of August 18th.
Vice-Chair Runion – No comment.
Trustee Mounts – She states that the date should be two weeks, or September 1st, in order to advertise the new hours.
Chair Shewalter – He starts to ask a question about the scheduling to Assistant Director Gibbons, but redirects his question to Trustee Mounts about starting the new hours on August 25th or September 1st.
Trustee Mounts – She states yes, so that we can let everyone around town know.
Chair Shewalter withdraws his motion.
Vice-Chair Runion withdraws his second.
Chair Shewalter made a motion to set a start date for the new library hours to September 1, 2025.
Vice-Chair Runion seconds.
Chair Shewalter re-opens public comment.
Diane Franke – She states that September 1st is a holiday, and that the hours should start on September 2nd.
Public comment is closed.
Chair Shewalter – He states that he will be sticking to the date of September 1, 2025, for the new hours. He asks if the holiday is Labor Day.
Various people answer “yes”.
Vice-Chair Runion – No comment.
Trustee Mounts – No comment.
Trustee Green – No comment.
Chair Shewalter calls the question.
The measure passes 4-0 with one absent.
17. Discussion and deliberation to approve, amend and approve or reject amending the Pahrump Community Library Personnel Policy’s employee paid lunch break policy.
Trustee Mounts makes a motion to approve amending the Pahrump Community Library Personnel Policy’s employee paid lunch break policy.
Chair Shewalter seconds.
Chair Shewalter opens public comment.
Trustee Mounts – She asks what page it’s on.
Chair Shewalter – He responds with 31 and 32.
There are no public comments.
Chair Shewalter – He states that with the new hours, there are some new issues with scheduling. With the way the existing policy is written, you get a half-hour lunch break, and you have to stay in the building. If you are needed out on the floor, you have to come back out to help. He states that from his perspective, a half hour is not long enough to eat, employees are required to stay here, and if there are interruptions, there are no provisions that employees can finish their lunch. The revised break policy provides that you can leave, you can stay, it is an uninterrupted, unpaid break, for one hour. It also lays out where you are provided lunch breaks, and where you are not. For part-time employees, the state dictates that, and it could be a federal issue as well. It also helps to provide scheduling for our new library hours.
Vice-Chair Runion – He states that with his previous employment, he had a similar policy to the existing one, and bringing the policy into state guidelines is good. He is in support of the motion.
Trustee Mounts – She states that in her companies, part-time employees never received a paid lunch, and that after speaking with Director Thomas, she suggested speaking to Michelle. She adds that Director Thomas did great research, and it works.
Chair Shewalter – He states the policy has been reviewed by the District Attorney’s Office.
Trustee Green – She states she agrees with most of the policy, and it is important that the part-time staff have their breaks. She states her issue is with “working during the lunch break are not allowed without prior approval”. In her past experience as a librarian, she states in order to get work done, she needed to work through her lunch break. She states she knows why it’s written that way, so no one can say they were made to work through a lunch break, but can employees sign a waiver acknowledging that if they choose to work through their lunch break that they are working on their own time. By signing, they don’t have to go to Director Thomas while she is busy to get approval.
Chair Shewalter – He states that this is exactly why the provision is there, so no one can say they were made to work through their break. He states that Trustee Green would be shocked if she knew what goes on around the library. He adds that if Director Thomas wants to make a waiver, it would fall under day-to-day operations. He states he has faith in what she is trying to do, and is okay with her protecting the library.
Chair Shewalter calls the question.
The measure passes 4-0 with one absent.
18. Discussion and deliberation to (1) approve, amend and approve or reject the Apollo Integrated Library System Subscription Purchase Agreement with Biblionix, LLC for the Library’s new ILS system, (2) Execute the Agreement, and (3) provide the Library Director with a one-time authority to execute the Agreement.
Chair Shewalter makes a motion to approve the Apollo Integrated Library System Subscription Purchase Agreement with Biblionix, LLC for the Library’s new ILS system, execute the Agreement, and provide the Library Director with a one-time authority to execute the Agreement.
Trustee Mounts seconds.
Chair Shewalter opens public comment.
Caroline Logue – She questions if the ILS system has been approved by both the ALA and by the director, and if it is AI generated information.
Public comment is closed.
Chair Shewalter – He states this to sign the agreement that has been selected, and asks Assistant Director Gibbons if it was talked about last month.
Assistant Director Gibbons – She states that Director Thomas did speak about the Apollo trial at the end of the meeting last month.
Chair Shewatler – He states Director Thomas had a demo set up with our catalog information, so that the staff could get familiar with it by using the library’s actual catalog. He adds that the support is fabulous.
Assistant Director Gibbons agrees.
Chair Shewalter – He states that the cost is significantly less than the “not to exceed amount” that the board has voted to spend on a new system. Director Thomas had a meeting with staff, and the feedback was pretty good. Director Thomas decided, and now we need an agreement with the company so she can buy the system.
Vice-Chair Runion – He states that if this is what the library staff has selected, then he is in favor.
Trustee Mounts – No comment.
Trustee Green – She addresses Caroline Logue and states that the ALA might not have approved the system, but it is used in many public libraries. She states that this company does go to the ALA conferences and they set up a booth in the vendor room. She adds that she is very pleased with the system.
Chair Shewalter calls the question.
The measure passes 4-0 with one absent.
19. Trustee/Director/Liaison Comments: - This item is limited to announcements, brief discussions of public comments, correction of factual inaccuracies, direction to staff, or topics proposed for future board meetings. (Lengthy deliberation of topics not on the agenda is prohibited by the Nevada Open Meeting Law).
Margaret Foley – No Comment.
Assistant Director Gibbons – No comment.
Trustee Green – She clarifies in regards to the hotspots that she is not against filtering for young people, and was against filtering for adults because it infringes on their First Amendment rights. She thanks everyone for attending.
Trustee Mounts – She states thank you for the clock, and she encourages the audience to go take a look at the new furniture in the children’s section. She adds that she has been approached to do videos and podcasts of the library since it has been redone. She has not talked to Director Thomas about it yet, but did talk to Chair Shewalter. She states she will get ours before anyone else does anything. She thanks everyone for attending.
Vice-Chair Runion – No comment.
Chair Shewalter – He states that the library is not finished with the updates, including the Young Adult area, which will provide them with their own space. He tells Trustee Mounts that he is proud of her and the Tales with Pebbles program, which has had 47 kids between the two teams. He adds that it was a lot of work getting it together.
Trustee Mounts – She states that Julie has been a big help.
Chair Shewalter – He states that hopefully will have more staff soon. He also congratulates Julie on being the new Children’s Department Head, Kit for being promoted to the Reference Desk Supervisor, and Kraven as the new IT Coordinator, and he does a great job.
20. Adjournment
The meeting is adjourned at 12.00 p.m.