Current Members: Chelsie Kalehuawehe, Janet Clark, and Laura Vega Flores
The regular meeting of the advisory board is the 4th Tuesday of each month at 4:00 pm in person and virtually. For the virtual meeting invitation, please contact us at 719-846-6841.
The meeting minutes are available directly below. To access the agenda and information regarding upcoming meetings, please see our events page.
The Regular Meeting of the Library Advisory Board of the City of Trinidad, Colorado, will be held on Tuesday, August 23, 2022 at 4:00 pm via Zoom meeting and in-person at Carnegie Public Library
Upcoming meetings: September 27, 2022, 4:00 p.m. Library Advisory Board Meeting
Trinidad Carnegie Public Library, 202 N Animas St, Trinidad, CO 81082
Library Advisory Board Meeting
June 28, 2022
The meeting was called to order at the Carnegie Public Library, at 4:05pm by Jessica Huffman, Library Director.
Roll Call was taken;
Board Members Present: Janet Clark, Marjorie Kiefer, and Paul Kiefer
Board Member Zooming: Terry Brown
Library Staff Present: Jessica Huffman, Director
Approval of Minutes from April 26, 2022 Meeting
Motion to Approve: Paul
Motion Seconded: Marjie
Communications
None were introduced
Director’s Report
Building
The Library’s AC system is not cooling the building like it should be. Jessica contacted present City Manager, Mike Valentine, and he advised to put a new system on the next budget proposal.
Programs
Jessica reported that the Summer Reading Program Kick Off went very well. There were 50-75 attendees on that sweltering day.
The registration numbers are also good and have already exceeded last year’s totals;
PreK: 8
4-10 year olds: 81
11 year olds and up: 12
Other Summer Reading Events:
Chalk the Walk had 23-25 participants, even with registration capped at 20!
Whale Day had 30 participants and
Shell Day had 30 participants.
The next event will be the movie, “Finding Nemo” which will be presented in the “new” Community Room.
STEM Day is scheduled for July 8th and there are not many registration spots left.
Already looking ahead, Jessica is planning a Winter Adult Reading Program
Personnel
The Library continues to be super busy. And, it is short staffed with one staff member on a long term leave of absence and just general summer craziness. A new staff member has been hired, Catherine Schmidt, and Jessica is excited to have her on board.
Reports by Members
Marjie announced that the Friends of the Library Board Meeting is July 12th.
Marjie, Paul, Terry and Janet all came to a consensus that the Library Advisory Board will take a summer break, and there will be no meeting in July. Meetings will resume as scheduled beginning in August.
Adjournment
Motion to adjourn: Janet
Seconded: Marjie
Meeting adjourned at 4:38pm
The Regular Meeting of the Library Advisory Board of the City of Trinidad, Colorado, will be held on Tuesday, September 27, 2022 at 4:00 pm via Zoom meeting and in-person at Carnegie Public Library
Upcoming meetings: October 25, 2022, 4:00 p.m. Library Advisory Board Meeting
Trinidad Carnegie Public Library, 202 N Animas St, Trinidad, CO 81082
*contact Library to receive a Zoom link.
Library Advisory Board Meeting
August 23, 2022
The meeting was called to order at the Carnegie Public Library, at 4:09pm by Jessica Huffman, Library Director.
Roll Call was taken;
Board Members Present: Janet Clark, Marjorie Kiefer, and Paul Kiefer
Board Member Zooming: Terry Brown
Library Staff Present: Jessica Huffman, Director
Approval of Minutes from June 28, 2022 Meeting
Motion to Approve: Marjie
Motion Seconded: Paul
Communications
City Councilman, Aaron Williamson, attempted to attend the July meeting, but Jessica informed him that the Board was taking a summer break and the July meeting had been cancelled. Regular meetings would resume in August.
Director’s Report
Building
Robert Philpot, the artist designing and installing the Library’s wrought iron gate, has been given an extension in his timeline due to rain and supply chain issues.
Maintaining our new landscaping, aka as weeding, has been a problem. Jessica has had to do it herself on some occasions and she credits the current lack of a City Manager as part of the problem. She is excited for our new City Manager as he is a Library advocate, but until he settles in, Jessica has secured the use of a volunteer doing community service hours for our weeding.
Kent Robinson, City Inspector, was using a HVAC professional from Pueblo for a City project and as he was already working for the City of Trinidad, Kent asked him to look at the Library’s air conditioning issue. Long story short, our air conditioner is repaired! Kent also did an audit and determined that the library needs new windows. As the Library is a Historic Building, the outside appearance cannot change. But, he is aware of this restriction and is still willing to work on it.
Technology
Patrons of the Library are experiencing slow Internet speeds, as apparently Secom oversold its WiFi. That issue is being addressed by the City.
The new computers that Jessica ordered are on back order with a projected arrival date in September.
Programs
With financial help from the Friends of the Library and, as always, the City’s support, the Library was able to offer 18 different programs for the Summer Reading participants! The Foam Party at Central Park was the premier event with over 300 individuals enjoying the day, some even traveling from Pueblo, Raton, and Aguilar.
Overall, the Summer Reading Program was a resounding success with 104 total registrants.
Tomorrow, the Library Staff meets to begin work on new programs for the fall and winter. Tom is working on quarterly Movie Nights and Phyllis is joining him in planning some teen programming.
Personnel
Phyllis has returned to duty and all are thankful for her return.
The Library staff has been able to do quite a bit of staff training, because of Covid, many more trainings are available online.
Jessica will be attending CalCon, the Colorado Conference for all Libraries in Denver, September 8, 9, and 10.
Reports by Members
Marjie announced that the Friends of the Library were given Middle School books to distribute for free from the Hoehne School District. Suggestions of possible donation sites were offered.
Janet reported back from the City’s Advisory Board Meeting, sharing that many attendees were impressed with the positivity coming out of the Library – with Kudos to Jessica. She also requested a volunteer to attend an upcoming City Council Meeting to address the Council members on the Library.
Terry reported that he had experienced a family emergency that needed immediate technology support and Tom Potter stepped up and helped using the Library’s resources, thereby making a stressful situation manageable. A big shout out to Tom.
Adjournment
Motion to adjourn: Janet
Seconded: Paul
Meeting adjourned at 5:16pm
The Regular Meeting of the Library Advisory Board of the City of Trinidad, Colorado, will be held on Tuesday, October 25, 2022 at 4:00 pm via Zoom meeting and in-person at Carnegie Public Library
Upcoming meetings: January 24, 2023, 4:00 p.m. Library Advisory Board Meeting
Trinidad Carnegie Public Library, 202 N Animas St, Trinidad, CO 81082
There will be a Special Meeting of the Trinidad Carnegie Public Library Board, on Thursday, November 17, 2022, at 3:00 p.m. at Trinidad Carnegie Public Library, 202 N Animas Street, Trinidad, CO 81082
SPECIAL MEETING
Library Advisory Board Meeting
September 27, 2022
The meeting was called to order at the Carnegie Public Library, at 4:09pm by Jessica Huffman, Library Director.
Roll Call was taken;
Board Members Present: Janet Clark, Marjorie Kiefer, and Paul Kiefer
Board Member Zooming: Terry Brown
Library Staff Present: Jessica Huffman, Director
Approval of Minutes from August 23, 2022 Meeting
Motion to Approve: Paul
Motion Seconded: Marjie
Communications
None
Director’s Report
Building
The new wrought iron gate was installed and Jessica installed the locks.
Kent Robinson, City Inspector, still has the Library’s windows on his radar.
Technology
The new computers have arrived and now the Library is up and running with 4 total. The Internet speed has improved with the children of Trinidad returning to school.
The new computer reservation system is up and running and working out very well. Everyone is being treated the same, and it is easier for the staff to enforce the rules.
Programs
Tom Potter is preparing an Internet Election Safety Class focusing on how not to get scammed. He is also working on teen programs for the new telescope and how to take good cell phone photos.
Phyllis is doing a Family Story Time every 3rd Friday and Tales for Tots.
Two Family Literacy Nights are scheduled that will also feature crafts and snacks.
Jessica is also busy planning more STEM programming that will involve Fisher Peak Elementary and the High School.
Primero School requested help with their Fall Fun Night. The Library will assist with the Pumpkin Decorating Contest; pumpkins will feature the contestant’s favorite book or character from a book.
The Library has begun working with the Autism Group to present story times.
The Bird Watching Kit is complete and is ready for check out,
The Library now has 3 hot spots that are available for weekly check out on a “lucky day” basis. (Meaning they may not be reserved.)
Jessica was very happy with the success of the Main Street Theater ticket check outs and also the Triggers Baseball tickets. She is considering approaching Monument Lake next year to secure a pass that will also be available for check out.
A Winter Reading Program for kids is in the works with a potential January start date.
Personnel
The PT Tech Clerk that was hired was great, but she was offered a FT position elsewhere and so the search begins again.
Good News: The City approved an additional 15 hour employee that was added in the 2023 Budget.
Reports by Members
Marjie announced that the Friends of the Library were meeting October 11th at 9:30am. She also indicated that the Book Store was in dire need of volunteers.
Janet proposed that both the November and December Advisory Board Meetings be cancelled due to Holiday scheduling. The Board approved.
Mission, Vision and Values
Jessica presented the Library’s new Mission, Vision, and Value Statement that will be submitted to Donna for final approval before being added to the Library’s website.
After much research, Jessica wrote the new Mission Statement;
“Our purpose is to provide the community with resources to encourage imagination, connection, and inspiration.”
She also presented the new Vision Statement;
“Trinidad Carnegie Public Library strives to be recognized as the heart of the community that promotes life-long learning with equal access to a diverse and updated collection, innovative programs and responsive services that meet the needs of everyone.”
Mallory, the Library’s former Director, developed the Value segment;
“Trinidad Carnegie Public Library staff will uphold our core values:
P – Public Good
A – Adaptability
C – Compassion
E – Education and Lifelong Learning
S – Service to All
The Advisory Board discussed the new statements and were overall enthused with their wording and professionalism. The Board 100% approved.
Adjournment
Motion to adjourn: Janet
Seconded: Paul
Meeting adjourned at 5:16pm
The Regular Meeting of the Library Advisory Board of the City of Trinidad, Colorado, will be held on Tuesday, January 24, 2023 at 4:00 pm via Zoom meeting and in-person at Carnegie Public Library
Upcoming meetings: February 28, 2023, 4:00 p.m. Library Advisory Board Meeting
Trinidad Carnegie Public Library, 202 N Animas St, Trinidad, CO 81082
Library Advisory Board Meeting
October 25, 2022
The meeting was called to order at the Carnegie Public Library, at 4:14pm by Jessica Huffman, Library Director.
Roll Call was taken;
Board Members Present: Janet Clark, Marjorie Kiefer
Board Member on Speaker: Paul Kiefer
Board Member Absent: Terry Brown
Library Staff Present: Jessica Huffman, Director
Community Member Present: Steve Ruger, City Manager
Approval of Revised Minutes from September 27, 2022 Meeting
Motion to Approve: Marjie
Motion Seconded: Paul
Communications
Steve Ruger, Trinidad City Manager, introduced himself to the Board members and described himself as a strong Library advocate. He was happily welcomed by all.
Director’s Report
Programs
Jessica is working with School District #1 and Zeb Williamson to convert the High School’s current Library into a commons area, a greenhouse, and a small lending library. Jessica agreed to work with the District on this project if a commitment was made that the small lending library’s collection would be continuously updated. It was agreed, with the City’s sanction as well, and now the recycling and donating of the current collection will begin. Jessica has also requested that the duplicate school yearbooks be donated to the History Room in the Library, and for the bookends also be donated to the Library. Marjie informed the Board and Jessica that there was a book recycling facility in Swink, Colorado. The recycling center cuts off the covers and then recycles the pages; perfect for old textbooks and other outdated selections from the High School’s Library.
Jessica and two of the Library staff, Dakota and Sierra are working with the Primero School District. Jessica has presented two story times, Sierra is the judge for the Fall Family Festival Pumpkin Literacy Contest, and Dakota will be in attendance to assist both Jessica and Sierra in the Library’s booth.
Fisher’s Peak Elementary will be the site of the November 18th STEAM event. Trinidad High School volunteers will be assisting the Library with manning the booths. Jessica was excited to announce that there would be an additional two new STEAM kits.
This Friday, October 28th, the Library was hosting a Family Literacy Night from 5:30 to 7pm. Perkatory Coffee Shop is providing hot chocolate for the event.
Tom Potter hosted an Internet Safety workshop with 4 attendees. It turned out to be a good round table discussion, and perhaps worthy of taking it on the road as an outreach event.
Tuesday Tots had a good attendance of 14, and Family Story Time brought in 5 attendees.
The Library is sponsoring an Ornament Contest in December. The ornaments must have a literary connection in order to be entered.
The current selection at the Story Walk in Central Park is “The Mitten”. This outreach continues to be one of the Library’s most popular and commented upon program.
Personnel
The Library is currently fully staffed.
Reports by Members
Marjie announced that the Book Store has had good luck in giving away the donated books that were discussed last month, even though it has overall been a slow month at the store.
Mission, Vision and Values
Jessica advised the Advisory Board that the Values that were presented last month have been revised to align with the City of Trinidad’s Values.
Adjournment
Motion to adjourn: Janet
Seconded: Marjie
Meeting adjourned at 4:42pm
The Regular Meeting of the Library Advisory Board of the City of Trinidad, Colorado, will be held on Tuesday, February 28, 2023 at 4:00 pm via Zoom meeting and in-person at Carnegie Public Library
Upcoming meetings: March 28, 2023, 4:00 p.m. Library Advisory Board Meeting
Trinidad Carnegie Public Library, 202 N Animas St, Trinidad, CO 81082
Library Advisory Board Meeting
January 24, 2023
The meeting was called to order at the Carnegie Public Library, at 4:00pm by Jessica Huffman, Library Director.
Roll Call was taken;
Board Members Present: Terry Brown, Janet Clark, Chelsie Kalehuawehe
Board Members on Zoom: Marjie Kiefer, Paul Kiefer
Library Staff Present: Jessica Huffman, Director
Community Member Present: Aaron Williamson, City Council Liaison
Approval of Revised Minutes from September 27, 2022 Meeting
Motion to Approve: Janet
Motion Seconded: Terry
Communications
None
Director’s Report
Building
Jessica sadly reported that two years in, and there are still problems with the Library’s heating system. The Library was even forced to close for one day during an extreme temperature drop as it was too cold for patrons and staff to work. Flo Rite took 2 days to diagnose a problem and then submitted a proposal to repair. Jessica received permission to contact ACS and David came right over and scavenged parts from the existing systems and was able to get 2 out of the 3 units going and so now the Library is only waiting on parts for 1 unit.
Sierra has updated the Library’s website even more, so now there is a scroll running along the bottom of the page!
Jessica also shared the updated “Firearms Prohibited” sign. She felt the current posting was not clear on the Library’s legal right to prohibit firearms.
Budget
The Library came close to running out of cards at the end of 2022, which is good news, but it was a budgeting challenge due to the end of fiscal year. Jessica is considering charging $1.00 for replacement cards.
The Library’s subscription managing service went out of business at the end of the year and Jessica is exploring Rivistas, another less expensive service.
The Library again received its state grant of $6000.00 and Jessica is busy purchasing extra services and updating the collection with the money. The Main Street Live tickets have been crazily successful and she is looking into some new ideas; Monument Lake, Trinidad Community Center’s Public Pool, and the Raton Aquatic Center.
Programs
The Adult Winter Reading Program has begun! It features special events and prizes for reading.
Tom Potter is still coordinating the successful Philosophy Cafe.
The next Family Literacy Day is happening Saturday, February 4th. Jessica is experimenting with an afternoon event to see if that generates more interest.
Phyllis is beginning the planning for the Youth Summer Reading Program. This year’s theme is “Altogether Now”.
The Giving Tree generated many donations of winter clothing, but Jessica wishes that this program could be a shared effort as there are other similar programs in Trinidad.
Personnel
The staff are beginning their 2023 goal setting.
Reports by Members
Marjie thanked the Library/Jessica for the donation of bookends for the store. They are much appreciated and already in use. She also reminded Jessica to submit requests for any needed funds.
Janet suggested that perhaps the Library could use an app to enable patrons to store their Library cards.
Aaron wondered if the hugely successful Foam Machine was going to be booked again for the Summer Reading Program. Jessica assured him that indeed it is already secured and this time for a full day.
Adjournment
Motion to adjourn: Janet
Seconded: Terry
Meeting adjourned at 4:49pm
The Regular Meeting of the Library Advisory Board of the City of Trinidad, Colorado, will be held on Tuesday, April 25, 2023, at 4:00 pm via Zoom meeting and in-person at Carnegie Public Library
Minutes from the Library Advisory Board Meeting, March 28, 2023
The meeting was called to order at the Carnegie Public Library, at 4:01 pm by Jessica Huffman, Library Director.
Roll call was taken: Board members present: Chelsie Kalehuawehe, Marjie Kiefer, Paul Kiefer. Board members absent: Janet Clark (excused). Library staff present: Jessica Huffman, Director
Approval of Minutes from February 28, 2023 meeting: motion to approve by Chelsie, seconded by Paul.
Petitions or communications: none
Review of Boards and Commissions training: Jessica handed out copies of the powerpoint presentation by Steve Ruger, City Manager. Some of the highlights discussed were
a) meetings had to be recorded and recordings kept for 6 months.
b) boards need to elect a “Chair” to run the meetings and a “Vice Chair” to take over when “Chair” is absent c) the Library Director is to be a “liaison” person
d) items about board meetings are handled through Jessica; e) there are strict rules to be followed about what, where, and when board business can be discussed
f) items not on the meeting agenda cannot be discussed, nor can public comments be discussed until the next meeting. More details will be discussed at next meeting when Janet and new board member Christopher Gerhard will be present.
Directors Report:
a) The library website, hosted by BlueHost, went down. It took multiple days to get the site up and running; luckily a back-up was found.
b) A state grant was used to purchase 6 pool passes for the Raton Aquatic Center. These will go live on April 1. Also purchased were WonderBooks for pre-schoolers through 3rd grade, plus additional books to keep our collection updated and current.
c) Moon watch party tonight (3/28), with astronomy professor Zach Stockbridge. They will explain about the telescope the library has and then will go outside to look at the moon.
d) The library will partner with the Southern CO Family Center, the Youth Club, and Hula on April 1 to provide an Easter egg hunt and crafts for the Week of the Young Child.
e) Literacy day has been rescheduled to April 22 and will have a guest storyteller, Alison England from Main Street Live.
f) Author events in the works include Philip Vigil (3/29), Calvin Smith (4/15), and book signing by Karla Morton and Alan Birkelbach (4/13).
g) On April 4 there will be an international exchange of ideas between women healers from Trinidad, CO and la China del Cibao from the Dominican Republic. This program will be at the library, using Zoom.
h) The library will be closed on April 28 so staff can attend the CUC and Connect rural meet ups in Pueblo. Following up on a request from our last board meeting, Jessica handed out a list of magazines available at the library.
Reports by Members: Marjie confirmed that the check was sent to extend the Udemy subscription for another year.
Adjournment: Motion was made to adjourn at 4:50 by Paul. Next meeting will be on April 25 at 4:00 at the library.
The Regular Meeting of the Library Advisory Board of the City of Trinidad, Colorado, will be held on Tuesday, May 23, 2023, at 4:00 pm via Zoom meeting and in-person at Carnegie Public Library
Library Advisory Board Meeting
April 25, 2023
The meeting was called to order at the Carnegie Public Library, at 4:00pm by Jessica Huffman, Library Director.
Roll Call was taken;
Board Members Present: Christopher Gerhard, Chelsie Kalehuawehe, Marjie Kiefer, Paul Kiefer
Board Members Present on Zoom: Janet Clark
Library Staff Present: Jessica Huffman, Director
Approval of Minutes from March 20, 2023 Meeting
Motion to Approve: Paul
Motion Seconded: Chelsie
Communications
Jessica welcomed Christopher to the Board and distributed some informational literature.
Advisory Board Housekeeping
In a discussion of the City’s guidelines for Agencies, Boards, Bureaus, and Commissions, Jessica explained that at the next meeting, the Board will need to elect officers; a Chair, a Vice-Person, and a Secretary. These positions will be annually elected. Also, under Article 13, section (d) The Board shall make a written annual report to the City Council, not later than July 31st of each calendar year…” The Advisory Board will schedule a special meeting during the June meeting to prepare/address this report.
In the Library’s specific Advisory Board Guidelines, we will delete line 017, stipulating that the Library Director will serve as the Chairperson of the Library Advisory Board.
Line 018 will be amended to “The Library Director will prepare an agenda for each meeting.”
Line 023 will be amended to “Copies of the approved/amended minutes will be provided to the City Clerk.”
Director’s Report
Building
Jessica addressed Trinidad’s City Council and received approval to move forward with the new HVAC system, from ACS.
The Library’s new credit card reader is active, and is consistent with City Hall’s system.
Jessica is finalizing the final purchases from the $6530 State Grant. She has spent every single penny and is very happy with the ability to increase the collection and the experiential library.
Programs
On May 13, in cooperation with the Southern Colorado Family Center, the library is hosting a Mother’s Day Craft, little flower pots.
There a children’s program in May, a special field trip to see Goodnight Moon – A Fiber Tale by Ken Chapin on May 16th.
Adult Programming includes Philosophy Cafe, and the ever popular Legal Help. The Legal Help program is through the State of Colorado and is full with a wait list. The participants meet with a lawyer via Zoom to assist with their questions.
The Summer Reading Program, “All Together Now” is ready to go with an opening kick off at the Community Pool. The immensely popular Foam Party is confirmed for June 27th with two sessions this year, a 10am and a 1pm at Cimino Park.
Staff Training
The Library Staff are all attending an Inservice Workshop in Pueblo this upcoming Friday, so the Library will be closed.
Jessica is attending the Library Directors’ Retreat in Greeley, Colorado May 17-19.
Personnel
Jessica is hoping to fill a 15 hour/wk position before summer.
She is currently very happy with the group of teen volunteers from Hoehne and Goal Academy.
Adjournment
Motion to adjourn: Chris
Meeting adjourned at 5:05pm
The Regular Meeting of the Library Advisory Board of the City of Trinidad, Colorado, will be held on Tuesday, July 18, 2023, at 4:00 pm via Zoom meeting and in-person at Carnegie Public Library.
Library Advisory Board Meeting
May 23, 2023
The meeting was called to order at the Carnegie Public Library, at 4:00pm by Jessica Huffman, Library Director.
Roll Call was taken;
Board Members Present: Janet Clark, Christopher Gerhard, Chelsie Kalehuawehe, Marjie Kiefer, Paul Kiefer
Library Staff Present: Jessica Huffman, Director
City Staff Present: Steve Ruger, City Manager
Approval of Minutes from April 25, 2023 Meeting
Motion to Approve: Paul
Motion Seconded: Chelsie
Communications
Steve Ruger, Trinidad City Manager, addressed the Board, acknowledging what a great job Jessica is doing and how he appreciates the Library Board members.
The purpose for his visit was to give the Board some quick reminders on proper Board etiquette regarding communications, within the Board meetings and outside in the community.
The Library Board meetings are considered, like all City of Trinidad meetings, as Open Meetings, that is, Public Meetings. Open Meetings require a 24 hour advance notice to the public, no discussion of Library Board business without a quorum of 3 Board Members, and when dealing with email communications, never “reply all”.
The Open Records Act also applies to all Library Board meetings. That means, that if needed, Board Members would be required to turn over all emails and social media posts that relate to Library Board business.
Steve also reminded everyone to keep all comments about the City and/or the Library positive. We are the face of the City that our neighbors see.
Advisory Board Housekeeping
In three unanimous votes, the Library Board elected their Board Officers.
Chair: Chelsie Kalehuawehe
Vice Chair: Chris Gerhard
Secretary: Janet Clark
Votes were also held on the Library Advisory Board ByLaws.
A motion was made to delete line 17 by Chris and seconded by Paul – all approved.
A motion was made to amend line 18 by Chris and seconded by Marjie – all approved.
“The Library Director will prepare an agenda for each meeting.”
A motion was made to amend line 23 by Chris and seconded by Chelsie – all approved.
“Copies of the approved/amended minutes will be provided to the City Clerk.”
Chris also proposed to amend line 14, to delete the phrase, “even if you disagree.”
This change will be voted on during the June meeting.
Director’s Report
Building
The HVAC repairs are underway! New ports are being added to the building as that was the reason that the existing compressors failed. The system actually needed double the amount of ports that existed. With luck, the work will be done by the middle of June, and there will be air conditioning in the Library!
The credit card machine is still a work in progress, but it should be up and running by June 1st.
Programs
The City’s Planning Division is presenting a program entitled, “Echoes of History”, which Jessica and Tom will be attending June 3rd. This event celebrates the architecture and culture of Trinidad. Jessica will be there representing the Library, as it is a National Landmark and Tom is acting as a moderator. It is expected to be quite the event with the Trinidad Trolley out touring the City’s Landmarks.
Adult Programming in June will feature Melva Nolan, signing her latest quilting book, “Pieces of Trinidad” on the 9th. A remote Philosophy Cafe will return June 12th, and a completely booked Free Legal Help is being offered June 13th. Jessica is informing folks who have missed out on an appointment for the free Legal Help that the State of Colorado has a free app, the Colorado Court App, which has forms and instructions that are downloadable.
The Library’s Experiential Library has added two season tickets to the Trinidad Triggers. An extra perk goes along with these tickets; anyone who checks out the pair of tickets is able to do a meet and greet with the team before the game!
The Library’s Summer Reading Program, “All Together Now” is kicking off the summer at the Trinidad Aquatic Center on June 10th. There will be food, drinks and music, but the most anticipated event is the Foam Party at Cimino Park’s Spray ground on June 27th. It was such a success last year, with participants even driving down from Pueblo, that it has been expanded to two sessions. This event is made possible by the Southern Colorado Family Center and the Friends of the Library.
Staff Training
The Inservice Workshop in Pueblo, Click and Connect, was very worthwhile for all of the staff. There were good group interactions and a lot of information was shared. The Trinidad Library was even singled out as an example of good branding in the website presentation of Aspencat.
Jessica also attended the State’s Library Directors Retreat in Greeley, Colorado. Greeley was proud to show off their new Library complex.
Adjournment
Motion to adjourn: Chris
Meeting adjourned at 5:09pm
The Regular Meeting of the Library Advisory Board of the City of Trinidad, Colorado, will be held on Tuesday, August 22, 2023, at 4:00 pm via Zoom meeting and in-person at Carnegie Public Library
Library Advisory Board Meeting
July 18, 2023
The meeting was called to order at the Carnegie Public Library, at 4:03pm by Chelsie Kalehuawehe, Library Advisory Board, President.
Roll Call was taken;
Board Members Present: Janet Clark, Chelsie Kalehuawehe, Marjie Kiefer, Paul Kiefer
Excused Board Member: Christopher Gerhard
Library Staff Present: Jessica Huffman, Library Director
Approval of Minutes from May 23, 2023 Meeting
Motion to Approve: Paul
Advisory Board Housekeeping
At the May meeting a motion was made to amend line 14, to delete the phrase, “even if you disagree.”
This change will be voted on during the August meeting.
Director’s Report
Building
The HVAC repairs are completed!
The south Library windows are extremely inefficient and that makes that unit run constantly. They are historic windows, so that complicates things, but a mini splitter unit is being considered to remedy the situation.
The credit card system is running smoothly. The staff are comfortable using it and the money is counted daily by Shauna, Sierra and Jessica and then taken over to City Hall. There is a minimum charge of $1.00 with a 2.5% finance charge. If a patron’s bill is less than a dollar they are offered the ability to still charge, with the excess going as a donation to the Library.
Overall, Jessica feels that the building is working perfectly.
Finance
The State grant of $6539.00, has been pretty much exhausted by Jessica, spending $6536.72. She purchased books for the collection, Wonder Books, and Experience Passes. Her final report is due July 31, 2023.
Programs
The Summer Reading Program has been a bit of hit and miss. The outdoor offerings are Spectacular. The indoor offerings, not so much. The staff is evaluating the program’s attendance, but overall feels that the Program was a success with a total of 24,483 total minutes read and 94 participants. The final party will be at Skateland on Tuesday, July 25th; Sexy Pizza donated 12 pizzas for the event.
The Library is taking a break from special programs in August to prepare for fall.
Personnel
Jessica is interviewing 5 people for the open 15 hour position.
Reports by Members
Chelsie reported on an upcoming Soap Box Derby event at Skateland. It is an Exhibition which will feature the derby cars built in preparation for the main race on Saturday, August 19th.
Adjournment
Motion to adjourn: Chelsie
Meeting adjourned at 5:00pm
The Regular Meeting of the Library Advisory Board of the City of Trinidad, Colorado, will be held on Tuesday, September 26, 2023, at 4:00 pm via Zoom meeting and in-person at Carnegie Public Library.
Library Advisory Board Meeting
August 22, 2023
The meeting was called to order at the Carnegie Public Library, at 4:00pm by Chelsie Kalehuawehe, Library Advisory Board, President.
Roll Call was taken;
Board Members Present: Janet Clark, Chelsie Kalehuawehe, Marjie Kiefer, Paul Kiefer
Library Staff Present: Jessica Huffman, Library Director
Approval of Minutes from July 18, 2023 Meeting
Motion to Approve: Paul
Advisory Board Housekeeping
At the May meeting a motion was made to amend line 14 of the Library Advisory Board Bylaws, to delete the phrase, “even if you disagree.”
Janet made a motion to amend and Marjie seconded.
Janet then discussed Line 22, pertaining to the Advisory Board’s meeting schedule. This discussion was tabled and will added to September’s agenda.
Jessica shared the resignation letter from the Board’s newest member, Christopher Gerhard. She will contact Audra to re-list the opening.
Jessica also shared the Library’s, “Reconsideration of Materials, Formal Request Form” and an updated version of this form. After a brief discussion of the two forms’ differences, mainly that the plaintive is required to read the material in question and be a local Library patron, Chelsie made a motion to accept the revised version, Paul seconded.
Director’s Report
Building
A nationwide catalog is now available to all Library patrons as the existing Interlibrary Loan program has been integrated with Prospector. Prospector allows anyone with a valid Library card to check out whatever book is desired, even if it is in New York City! This integration with the Library’s existing Aspencat program has made the whole process much easier.
RidgeLine Corporation has taken over Trinidad’s Labor Day Rodeo and has offered the Library 10 tickets, at no fee, for our Experiential Loan Program.
Programs
The Summer Reading Program has wrapped up and prizes will be distributed until the end of August. The Summer Reading Program’s survey/evaluation has had a good response so far, but Jessica is making a final push for more completed surveys to be submitted.
Jessica is sitting down with individual staff members to discuss and generate new fall programming beginning in October.
Phyllis has already scheduled the Tuesday Tots Storytime on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of the month.
Jessica is working on a STEM Drop in Time on the 3rd Fridays of each month., but acknowledges that there is a need for more teen programming.
There will be two featured Family Literacy Days, the first in the fall, on October 28th, which will be a costume contest, paired with a movie. And, the second in February with a theme to be decided.
November will spotlight a Christmas Ornament Design Contest. There will be community judges and a bicycle for the winner, donated by the Trinidad Community Foundation.
The Smithsonian’s traveling exhibit “Crossroads: Change in Rural America” arrives in Trinidad in December and the Library will participate by featuring local authors – past and present.
Personnel
Jessica proudly reported that the Library is fully staffed. Jules, the newest hire is working out great and Dakota chose not to leave, and is continuing her excellent work.
Jessica and Sierra will be attending CalCon – the Colorado Library conference in Loveland this year, October 11-14.
Reports by Members
Chelsie reported that she attended the City’s Advisory Boards Networking meeting and heard nothing but great feedback about Jessica and the Library. Most notably discussed with the 2021 Summer Reading Program!
Adjournment
Motion to adjourn: Marjie
Meeting adjourned at 5:05pm
Respectfully submitted,
Janet Clark
The Regular Meeting of the Library Advisory Board of the City of Trinidad, Colorado, will be held on Tuesday, October 24, 2023, at 4:00 pm via Zoom meeting and in-person at Carnegie Public Library
Individuals with disabilities needing auxiliary aid(s) may request assistance by contacting Audra Garrett, City Clerk, 135 N.
Animas Street, Phone (719) 846-9843, or FAX (719) 846-4140. At least a 48 hour advance notice prior to the scheduled meeting
would be appreciated so that arrangements can be made to locate the requested auxiliary aid(s).
The Regular Meeting of the Library Advisory Board of the City of Trinidad, Colorado has been CANCELLED for November 28, 2023, and December 26, 2023.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS
The next Library Advisory Board Meeting will be on January 23, 2024.
Library Advisory Board Meeting
September 26, 2023
The meeting was called to order at the Carnegie Public Library, at 3:57pm by Chelsie Kalehuawehe, Library Advisory Board, President.
Roll Call was taken;
Board Members Present: Janet Clark, Chelsie Kalehuawehe, Marjie Kiefer, Paul Kiefer
Library Staff Present: Tom Potter, Teen/Adult Services Specialist
Excused Absence: Jessica Huffman, Library Director
Approval of Minutes from August 22, 2023 Meeting
Motion to Approve: Paul
Advisory Board Housekeeping
A vote was held to amend Line 22 in the Library Advisory Board ByLaws, pertaining to their meeting schedule. The change voted upon was to delete the word “monthly”.
Chelsie made the motion to accept the change, Paul seconded, and the line was amended.
Director’s Report – presented by Chelsie as provided by Jessica
Building
The building is currently running very smoothly. The goal for 2024 is new carpeting.
Budget
The City requested that all departments keep their budgets flat for 2024. Jessica was able to cut and reallocate the $1200 Large Equipment budget line. She did also note that if a monetary need did arise, she would still be able to request marijuana money. Jessica also noted that credit card fees also were added to the budget.
Programs
There are a HUGE amount of fall and winter programming on the Library’s schedule.
October will feature Banned Book Week. The Library received a donation to purchase banned books for its collection, and Jessica acknowledged that perhaps the Library’s donation policy needed updating. This should be an agenda item for the October meeting.
Sexy Pizza is partnering with the Library for Trivia Month. On the first Tuesday, October 3rd, Banned Books will be the Trivia Night theme.
October 7th, from 1 to 2pm, Tom has organized an discussion on different viewpoints regarding book banning.
October 8th will find the Library partnering with Tri-Point Theaters by making friendship bracelets, celebrating the opening of the Eros Tour, Taylor Swift movie.
For Halloween, the Library will be giving out Candy and Books.
Phyllis is also hosting her Tuesday Tots Story Time on the 1st and #rd Tuesdays.
The very popular STEM Programming, for K-5 grades, will also be featured on the 3rd Friday of October, November, and December.
A Family Fun event will happen on October 28th, with a Halloween movie at the Library.
The staff is currently working on the creation of a Book to Movie Club, for 4th-6th graders.
Tom is still hosting the successful Philosophy Cafe and also noted that Legal Help is still happening and perhaps Oratory Night will make a return this winter.
Personnel
Jessica is very happy with the professional job all staff members are doing.
The Library is partnering with Heidi Martin at Health Solutions for a program called COMET, it is focused on preventing suicide in rural communities. It will train the staff to have deeper conversations. Chelsie stressed the importance of this training as, “everyone knows someone who has been touched by suicide.”
Reports by Members
Chelsie encouraged everyone to turn out for Rad Fest this weekend.
Janet wondered about volunteering at the upcoming Smithsonian Event.
Adjournment
Motion to adjourn: Marjie
Meeting adjourned at 4:20pm
Library Advisory Board Meeting October 24, 2023
The meeting was called to order at the Carnegie Public Library, at 4:00pm by Chelsie Kalehuawehe, Library Advisory Board, President.
Roll Call was taken;
Board Members Present: Janet Clark, Chelsie Kalehuawehe, Marjie Kiefer, Paul Kiefer Library Staff Present: Jessica Huffman, Library Director
Motion to Approve: Marjie
Library Board Appointments
The City Council has adopted a new way of securing volunteer Board appointments, which entails them interviewing a candidate at one meeting and then appointing at the next.
At the last City Council work session, the Mayor and City Council interviewed a possible Library Advisory Board candidate, Laura Vega Flores. As no one else has currently applied, it is assumed that she will be appointed at the next Council meeting. Board members voiced concern as that not only had none of the Board members met her but the requirement to attend a Board meeting before being appointed was not in place anymore. Jessica acknowledged that this new process did have a few kinks.
This appointment process is a concern as both Marjie and Paul are leaving the Board at the beginning of 2024 after serving for 9 years. Jessica and Board members are excited to celebrate their hard work at a luncheon on January 10th at Club 14.
Programs
Trivia Night at Sexy Pizza is a success. The first one focused on Banned Books with the October 7th event featuring Board Games and Thanksgiving.
That being said, Jessica expressed her frustration with lack of community participation for some of the other Library’s planned events. Most confounding to both Jessica and the Tri-Peak Theater, was the lack of attendance for the Taylor Swift Friendship Bracelet event.
Chelsie stated that this dilemma is not specific to the Library, but organizations all across Trinidad are having difficulties attracting participants. This is a Trinidad problem and whether it’s caused by lack of communication, or simply people not wanting to go out – it is a problem that might be better addressed with more collaboration between agencies/entities.
The Library is hosting a Family Fun event on Saturday, October 28th where people are invited to appear in costume as their favorite book character.
And, of course, the Library will also be participating in the annual Downtown Trick or Treat event on Tuesday, October 31st.
Personnel
Jessica and Sierra attended this year’s CALCON, Colorado’s Library Conference, and not only learned a lot, but brought back some great ideas to the Staff.
Shawna, a FT Library staff member, is currently out so all staff members are stepping up and reorganizing their schedules. Jessica will now be working Saturdays instead of Fridays.
None
Motion to adjourn: Paul
Meeting adjourned at 4:55pm