Library Board Meeting Date: May 13, 2026
To: Library Board Members
From: Natalie Draper, Library Director
Title
2026-27 Library Board Work Plan Update.
Body
Action Requested:
The Library Board Discusses an Updated Work Plan and Timeline.
Summary Report:
To bring the Library Board in line with appointments and onboarding schedule, the board will receive an updated work plan in May of each year.
Work plan and progress update:
Accessibility, Safety, and Sustainability are the primary areas of focus for the library in 2026-27, so in addition to the strategic plan reports there will be periodic reports focused more specifically on projects we are undertaking to achieve these goals.
Projects:
• Have a plan in place to install hearing loop in Bunday Room, service desks
o Hearing loop is a technology that allows patrons with hearing loss to hear better than with simple amplification. City Hall utilizes this in Council Chambers.
o Project completed! College City Sertoma funded the equipment to loop service desks and the meeting room.
• Drafting new policies/procedures
o meeting room use
o Accessibility statement
§ Web page created, updated with additional resources, staff accessibility coordinator identified (Tyler Gardner)
o Artificial Intelligence (mostly with respect to patron and personnel privacy, vendor policies, and best practices for review)
§ In progress
o Warming/cooling shelter activation (this would be a city-wide policy)
§ In progress
• Finalizing grant-funded project to replace shelving in children’s, expand teen space
o In progress, additional funds awarded
• Ensuring WCAG 2.1 compliance for our website, online documents, and social media accounts by the 04/2028 deadline (extended by DOJ in April of this year)
o Summer interns may be working on action plan and tasks to be ahead of the deadline
• Continuing work on the site plans with landscape architects, city departments.
o Presented to Heritage Preservation Commission 5/6/2026
o Likely Local Option Sales Tax campaign, other fundraising underway
• Achieving certification as a “sustainable library”. “The Sustainable Libraries Initiative (SLI) provides library leaders with a proven path forward to co-create libraries and communities that will thrive in the coming years. The Sustainable Library Certification Program and the SLI community of practice focuses your leadership to enable your library, and ultimately your community, to become more environmentally sound, socially equitable and economically feasible.” <https://www.sustainablelibrariesinitiative.org/>
o This is a national effort led by a library system in upstate New York. We could be the first in Minnesota to be certified.
• Adopt a new five-year strategic plan
Proposed schedule of meetings:
All meetings are subject to change.
Jan 14: Sustainability presentation, approve site plans
Feb 11: Data/strategic plan committee, typically library legislative visits happen in Feb
Mar 11: Approve annual report
Apr 8: Public Library Association conference
May 13: Welcome new Youth members, elect officers, review work plan
Jun 10: budget/advocacy subcommittee
Jul 8: Review Rice County budget presentation
Aug: present budget to Rice County
Sep 9: Board may not meet in order to meet in October for strategic plan session
Oct 14: Strategic Plan workshop with SELCO Executive Director facilitating
Nov: regular November meeting moved to December because of the Veterans Day closing. Strategic Plan subcommittee meets to review plan before Board approval in December.
Dec 9: Adopt strategic Plan. The Board could decide to wait until January to adopt the new strategic plan.
Special projects, trainings, or events may alter sub-committee schedule.
Description of standing committees:
*New* Sustainability
Short term commitment to work with staff
Data/Strategic Planning:
Responsible for reviewing annual report data before full board approval, presenting report to full board at March meeting; review and update strategic plan as needed
Advocacy:
Assists Library staff in preparing award nominations and seeking letters of support for grant applications; identifying opportunities to advocate for library; supporting Library at budget presentation; may also participate in Legislative Week meetings with state representatives
Policy:
Works with staff policy committee to identify polices in need of revision and reviews draft policies; with Director, presents drafts to full board for approval
Budget:
Review funds; support staff efforts to seek grant funding (as needed); discusses upcoming budgetary needs; reviews budget request to county, city; capital campaign (as needed)
Library Board members may serve on any subcommittees they wish. 2-3 Board members should serve on each subcommittee for it to be effective. No more than 3 voting members may serve on a subcommittee. Ex-officio board members (FFNPL representatives) and all youth members are welcome to participate in any sub-committee they wish. Library staff will set the agenda with board input and staff will be present for all sub-committee meetings.
• The full board typically meets in Council Chambers on odd months: January; March; May; July; September; November.
o This allows us to meet statutory requirement to approve the annual report in March for April deadline
• Standing and ad hoc subcommittees would meet as needed on even months in Library Bunday Room: February; April; June; August; October; December.
o Library staff and Director will be present at all subcommittee meetings
• Board members would remain available on odd months for participation in subcommittees with the goal of 2-3 board members serving on committees, including a voting youth member and as many non-voting youth members as are available.
o Subcommittee members may select a representative to report back on related agenda items at the following meeting of the full board.
• Schedule subject to alteration as needed.
Alternative Options:
N/A
Financial Impacts:
N/A
Tentative Timelines:
N/A