Board Meeting Minutes – 10/9/2023
The meeting started with an invocation and then the Pledge of Allegiance (Item 3).
Item 1- Call to Order: The meeting is called to order at 10:05 AM.
Item 2- Members Roll Call: Present are Board of Trustee member Matt Morris, Board of Trustee member Dee Mounts, Board of Trustee member Dave Ochenreider, and Chairman John Shewalter. Vice Chairman Brian Shoemake was not present. Also present are Library Director Vanja Anderson, Assistant Director Shanna Gibbons, Head of Youth Services Alysha Wogee, Head of Reference Services Andrew Karneges, and Circulation Head Barbara Ferido. In addition, members of the public are present.
Item 3- The Pledge of Allegiance was recited prior to the call to order.
Item 4- Trustee/Director/Liaison Comments:
Director Vanja Anderson says she will do a presentation about the bookmobile next month.
Item 5- Approval of the Agenda: Item 7 (Emergency Items) is stricken from the agenda. The agenda is approved.
Item 6- General Public Comment:
Kelly Green- She says that last month Board of Trustee member Dee Mounts said that the Board does not want to ban books which is true but moving books from the youth section to the adult section is sequestering books from kids and that is a form of censorship. Censorship is the suppression of ideas by individuals or governments to materials that they find controversial or objectionable or dangerous. The principle of intellectual freedom is a hallmark of libraries and library professionals. Intellectual freedom encompasses the freedom to hold, receive, and disseminate ideas, even controversial ideas. Moving materials from the youth section to the adult section creates new problems. Those books will be sitting next to adult books with actual adult content which may contain content definitely not suitable for children. When kids learn there are books you don't want them to read they will find them. And if kids can't find what they're looking for in the safety of a library, they will go online and what is online is far worse than anything that would be found in a children's book. Privacy is essential to the exercise of free speech, free thought, and free association. The possibility of surveillance of a young person looking for a “controversial” book in the adult section violates their right to privacy. It opens up that person to the possibility of ridicule or judgment by anyone who sees them looking. If you do this you're going to be imposing your personal morality on all parents whether they share your viewpoint or not. By moving the books to the adult section you're censoring the ideas in the books by making them harder to access. There are books about uncomfortable topics but nobody is forced to read them.
Ellen Schneider- She says she heard on the radio about the ancient Egyptian library and that only part of it burned down not the entire thing as was previously thought but when the Roman Empire became Christian every book in that library that was not Christian was removed. Later, when the Ottoman Empire took over, any book in the library that was not Islamic was removed from the library. But then Islamic scholars decided they knew the religion better than the books in the library and so all the books in the library were removed. If there's a book about the ancient Olympics, where the athletes competed nude, in this library, someone will probably complain about that even though it's a history book. It's a slippery slope if you decide to move books around and to ban them.
Ginni Okawa- Thanks Ms. Green for her comments. She says she couldn't have said it better herself.
Jane Goodrow- She says that over the past year and especially these past few months, the meeting minutes are vastly improved. It's a big step in accuracy, transparency, and clarity.
John Shewalter says he agrees with Ms. Goodrow’s comments. He says that good meeting minutes will let the reader understand the meeting even though they weren't there. He says the minutes are great and thanks Dee Mounts for taking care of it. Dee says that she thanks Reference Librarian Andrew Karneges as he is the one writing the minutes.
Muriel Areno- Agrees with what Ms. Green said. If the goal is to protect children, they all have phones. And they can access everything in the world on there. It is better for them to read a book, than for them to browse the Internet for things they shouldn't be.
Item 8- Approval of the Minutes:
Dave Ochenreider makes a motion to approve the meeting minutes for September, 11th 2023. Matt Morris seconds the motion.
No public comments.
Board comments:
Dave Ochenreider agrees with the comments of the improved minutes.
John Shewalter mentions that the September meeting minutes are quite long and that that must take some time to complete. Andrew Karneges confirms that yes it takes a while to write up the minutes.
Minutes are approved 4-0.
Item 9-Presentation of the Treasurer's Report: Vanja Anderson presents the treasurer's report on expenditures for September 2023, as found in the backup. She mentions that the subtotal under 5369 Other Contractual Services which shows $6086.31 is incorrect and should read as $1,102.91. John Shewalter asks why the amounts in the Salaries & Wages row on page 14 do not equal the amount listed in the expense report in row 5110 Salaries on page 12. Shanna Gibbons says the 4% cost of living raise which started in July could explain the difference between the July and August totals. John Shewalter mentions that the Building total for September on page 14 shows $1343.42 but on page 12 row 5352 Building shows $4085.62 and wants to know why these numbers are different. Vanja says that hasn’t been paid yet.
Item 10- Approval of the Vouchers
John Shewalter make motion to approve the vouchers for September 2023 through October 2023 and Dee Mounts seconds the motion.
There are no public comments.
Board comment:
Dave Ochenreider asks why DP Air is listed on the vouchers since we don't use them anymore. Vanja says she will remove them. Ochenreider asks about the charge for EBSCO. Shanna Gibbons says that this is a yearly charge and EBSCO provides us with databases that are accessible through our website and they also provide us with magazines and other materials. Ochenreider asks that the recurrence of the costs be listed on this page (page 16). Vanja says that is listed on the next page (page 17) but Ochenreider still wants it be added to this page. John Shewalter asks about the Network Savants charge. Vanja responds that it is for workstation support, network configuration, troubleshooting. John Shewalter asks if it is all maintenance stuff or did we call them for service or to repair something. Vanja says it is all troubleshooting. John Shewalter asks Vanja to look at the contract that we have with Network Savants and make sure these charges are appropriate. Shewalter asks Vanja, Andrew Karneges, and our IT person (Kraven Betancourt), to look into these charges and make sure we're not being charged for things that are covered by the contract. John Shewalter asks about the Pahrump Valley Glass charge. Vanja says that we replaced some windows in the main room. Shewalter asks if there is anything unusual in petty cash. Vanja says there is nothing unusual and it is lower this month. Shewalter says he asks this question every month because petty cash is the most probable place where you're going to find embezzlement, theft, or fraud.
Vouchers are approved 4-0.
Item 11- Presentation of Librarian’s Report:
Vanja reads her report that can be found in the backup.
Shanna Gibbons reports the statistics for September 2023 which can be found in the backup.
Alysha Wogee reads the statistics for the children's programs which can be found in the backup.
John Shewalter asks about the Reference Questions being only 59 for the month. Shanna Gibbons clarifies that that number reflects only questions about books in the library or interlibrary loan whereas the General Questions category (which is 1,106) reflects all other questions asked at the Reference Desk.
Item 12- For Possible Action: (Continued agenda item) Discussion and deliberation whether to maintain the library’s membership with the American Library Association (ALA). This item was continued from the September 11th, 2023 meeting.
John Shewalter makes a motion to sever the library’s relationship with the American Library Association. Dave Ochenreider seconds the motion.
Public comment:
Kelly Green- She reads a quote from ALA President Emily Drabinski “we are at a critical moment when free and open access to credible information, a First Amendment right to free expression, and the principles of intellectual freedom are being challenged. We stand firm behind these values and are guided by our mission to provide leadership for the development, promotion, and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all. We will continue to conduct our work on behalf of American libraries and library workers across 8 divisions, 19 round tables, and more than 40,000 individual members. Together, we will continue to support the work of libraries now and in the future.” She says that because Emily Drabinski once tweeted that she is a Marxist lesbian that John Shewalter would argue that the American Library Association is a Marxist lesbian organization, however there are conservative and libertarian librarians that are part of the ALA. Ms. Drabinski is entirely focused on the profession of librarianship, promoting literacy, and keeping librarians safe. In addition, in June she leaves office and a new president is elected. Cutting ties with the ALA because of Ms. Drabinski’s personal beliefs is a distraction from the consequences that may follow. If the library cuts ties with the ALA, you (the Board) may be able to remove the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights from our library’s collection development policy. The Library Bill of Rights protects everyone's right to choose for themselves what they want to read. If the Bill of Rights is removed it will give the Board free reign to relocate or ban materials they consider to be controversial.
Shannon Hadfield- She wants to know why the Board wants to sever ties with the ALA. Dee Mounts explains to her that the Board does not answer questions during the public comment. Ms. Hadfield thinks it's sad that the Board is putting their own personal beliefs ahead of what is best for this library.
Jane Goodrow- She says last month there were about 40 people in the room and every person that spoke was against severing ties with the ALA. This decision should be a cost benefit analysis decision. The cost of the ALA membership was not even known by the Board. This decision was not precipitated as a result of cost. The membership cost was $175. And there were several instances of where the staff utilized the services of the ALA. Ms. Goodrow states that the chairman of the board said last month that people had came up to him and were concerned about the library’s ALA membership. Why are people coming to you and raising this issue? If you vote in favor of this item you're depriving the staff of one of its best resources and furthering a partisan political agenda.
Helene Campton- As a former trustee she is concerned with keeping the library what it should be. No one has come up to the microphone to speak in support of what you're doing. Everyone is against you. Where are the people who said to you that they wanted to leave the ALA?
Ann Underdahl- The job of a trustee is serving as an advocate for the library in this community and also to advocate for the community as a representative of the Library Board. We would like you to serve as an advocate for improvement of the library services to the community and making sure that the needs and interests of the community are at the forefront of the board decisions. What is the goal of this Board of Trustees? Former mayor of New York Ed Koch was famous for asking everyone he met “how am I doing?” Feedback on our efforts is important. Evaluation means looking at your goal and deciding how well you have accomplished it and whether or not it is what the community deems of value. Is our customer base increasing or decreasing because of the decisions made?
Ginni Okawa- She expresses her opposition to the board's desire to terminate the library’s membership with the ALA. This is a public library, it should serve all of the public. This is a decision that should not be made based on being upset with one person's political agenda.
Ellen Schneider- If you don't like the current president of the ALA, it's going to be a different person soon. Is it really worth it to leave? She suggests to the Board to remain with the ALA.
Bruce Hoffrichter- He says John Shewalter said last month that people have come to him and complained. This is the place for the public forum. This is where you come and complain. This is where you state your name. He directs his comments specifically to John Shewalter saying that he hasn’t heard one person last month or this month stand up and agree with your position. This seems like a political agenda. Not one person in this room in two months has agreed with you, yet you are still pushing it. Are you sure you really want this job? You should consider resigning. And get somebody on the Board who cares about this library and listens to this community.
Linda Fitzgibbons- She is a former library board trustee. She says when she was a trustee her job was to listen to the community because she was their representative. Please listen to who you're serving and vote based upon that information.
Andrea Force- When she was growing up in the 1970s, the library was a place of refuge. It was a place where she could read about children going through the same things as her. Some of those books were targeted for censorship. If those books were moved to the adult section, she wouldn't have had access to them as a child. She hopes that the library remains a member of the ALA.
Muriel Areno- If there are community members who want out of the ALA, for what are probably political reasons, where are they? None of them seem to care enough about the issue to be here and defend their point of view. The community has spoken and since we are not hearing any voices for the other point of view I hope you will take that into consideration.
Mark Stevens- He expresses his confidence in the Board and says he is confident that no one on the Board wants to ban books. He was here last month and heard people say they want to get politics out of the library. He agrees. And that should start with the ALA because the head of the ALA, Emily Drabinski, is a self-described Marxist. She has attacked conservatives as white supremacists, fascists, and angry white mobs. Ms. Drabinski has stated that subversion of traditional family structures is part of her queerness. If you want to get politics out of the library, you can start with cutting our ties with the ALA.
Board comments:
Matt Morris- Says if you go to the ALA website and see what they're up to you would be appalled. He thinks most people don't realize what they're all about. He says the Board cares about the library and the community. Ms. Drabinski is an avowed Marxist and that goes against everything we believe in, freedom. You don't want your children to be associated with certain groups of people.
Dee Mounts- She says the reason that a lot of the people who don't want the library to remain with the ALA are not here because they have to go to work in Vegas. She received an e-mail from a mother who wants the library to leave the ALA because of the leadership. She says she (Mounts) is a constitutionalist and was very offended last month when people called the board members Nazis. She says she wants to listen to both sides and she's not sure yet how she's going to vote.
Dave Ochenreider- He says he has spent over 16 hours online researching the pros and cons of the ALA. He says not once has the Board stated that they want to ban books. The current president of the ALA is vocal about being a Marxist lesbian and she attacks conservatives. She considers the Dewey Decimal System as overwhelmingly Christian and it presents heterosexuality as normative. 10 states have severed ties with the American Library Association. She is definitely against anyone who is a republican.
John Shewalter- He mentions that several people have already walked out saying that they don't want to have a discussion or debate and they don't want to hear anyone's point of view but their own. He asks Vanja how many hires she's made since she's been director and she says five. Shewalter says of those five, she used the ALA platform once. Vanja confirms, saying “yes.” Shewalter asks if anyone was hired from that posting. Vanja says “yes.” Shewalter says “was it Andrew?” Vanja says “yes.” Shewalter asks if we've received any grants, fellowships, or scholarships from the ALA. Vanja responds “no.” He asks what the annual fee for the ALA is. Vanja responds that it is $175. Shewalter asks and Vanja confirms that we are an organizational member. Shewalter says he doesn't care what ALA president Emily Drabinski says on social media or what her sexual orientation is. Shewalter says he thinks that we should be transitioning kids to Christ. Shewalter says that at the Socialist 2023 Conference, there was a presentation titled “Rethinking Schools” and one of the discussions was titled “how to smuggle socialist ideas like critical race theory into the classroom even when the law outlaws it.” Shewalter states that ALA president Emily Drabinski spoke at this presentation and said:
“Hi, I’m Emily and I'm a librarian. I want to say thank you for bringing up libraries, classroom libraries, but also school libraries of all kinds, public libraries, and higher education libraries who have been under attack in similar ways. But I think your point that public education needs to be a site of socialist organizing, I think libraries really do too. I haven't seen that, working in libraries, but I think there’s a real opportunity here to both connect with what’s happening in public education, what’s happening in public libraries, but what we also need some help in the libraries. We need to be on the agenda for socialist organizing. I just want to thank you for your work.”
John Shewalter presents another quote from Emily Drabinski, “it becomes difficult to think about laws as something of the sort of thing that needs to be complied with.” Shewalter presents another quote, “in my vision of a socialist future, our systems for sharing are robust. Libraries need to be seen as a terrain of struggle for those of us on the left.”
Matt Morris says that the Board has been accused of wanting to ban books but that is never been something that he has wanted to do. He goes on to say that if you look at the ALA website you can see all the books that the ALA has banned and that they are not an altruistic organization. He said it's not just about the leader, he says there is a group of people in the ALA that is intent on destroying the American family.
Dee Mounts says she has no problem with gay people. She says her best friend is gay. She doesn't have a prejudice against anything. She says parents want a choice about what their kids read and we are here to give them the choice.
John Shewalter says that he doesn't care about Emily Drabinski’s sexual orientation and that he has gay friends and transgender friends and this decision is not about homophobia.
The measure passes 4-0.
Item 13- For Possible Action: Discussion and deliberation to reassign the selection of a contractor for the replacement of the library flooring Scope of Work (SOW) as approved by the board on June 13, 2022 from Trustee Ochenreider to Trustees Shoemake and Shewalter.
Dee Mounts makes a motion and Dave Ochenreider seconds it.
There's are public comments.
Board comments:
Dee Mounts says she doesn't understand this library flooring thing. Dave Ochenreider says that Brian Shoemake has an extensive background in flooring and he (Ochenreider) has no experience in this area so he believes it would be better for Brian to be involved in this project instead of him.
The measure passes 4-0.
Item 14- Trustee/Director/Liaison Comments:
Matt Morris says that today's meeting was very controversial and there are a lot of people who feel very strongly about the ALA. He said in his community where he lives there are a lot of people who do not want to be a part of the ALA. He said he loves this town and wants the best for us all.
Dee Mounts thanks everyone for showing up. She says that there are other opinions other than the ones that the people who came to the meeting today have.
Dave Ochenreider says he asked 123 people what they thought of the ALA. He said he didn't get a lot of responses back but the responses he did receive align with the views of the Board. The Board did a lot of research and this was a tough decision.
John Shewalter says that the Board listens to the public. He says the Board is going to examine the flooring issue because of comments from the public. He says the lighting issue was because of the public. He says, we hear you.
Item 15- Adjournment at 12:06 PM.