Library board discusses reopening, ordinance

The Gibson Memorial Library Board of Trustees met to discuss renovations, a library ordinance concerning the number of board members, reopening to pre-COVID hours, the possibility of increasing internet speed, and its policy of gifting and donations toward the library 5:15 p.m. Monday.

Phase II reopening

While many libraries have reopened to their pre-COVID hours, Gibson Memorial has not. The library’s hours are still 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

The board reached a consensus that the library should reopen the public restrooms due to the the inconvenience, but concerns remain about the amount of people allowed inside of the library.

Board President Ann Coulter wanted to keep count by the hour and urged to install a door counter as it would be easier to acquire the necessary data.

The board approved to keep the phased reopening, count the number of people inside the library by the hour and revisit the plans at a future meeting.

Library Director Aric Bishop said that the library had paid $135 to be disinfected. The disinfectant had been sprayed over every corner of the library, and there was relatively no unintended damage to the contents of the library aside from the minor crinkling of paper, Bishop said.

Bishop also said that he had been trying to get renovations done for the library such as a new staircase, and other modifications for the reading room, carpet and signage.

Library ordinance

Although eight members had been serving on the board of Trustees, a ninth member has been appointed. However, nine members is more than the official ordinance approved decades ago.

Ordinance 2.7, which was approved in 1985, shrank the amount of members allowed to serve from nine to five. According to Iowa state law, however, library ordinances are to be approved by consent of the public, which Ordinance 2.7 was not. Library Director Aric Bishop set the amount of members back to the pre-1985 ordinance when he took over and a compromise toward the amount of seven members and the verbiage for the proposed ordinance has been an ongoing discussion for the board.

Ross Reinhart will be appointed to the board for a one-year term and the term limits for board members are listed online, Bishop said.

Ordinance 2.7 also does not call for a county representative to be present on the board, but when the concern was raised, Coulter said that there has always been one present ever since she was on the board.

When the mayor had previously visited the board to discuss the ordinance, the board had agreed that the new ordinance should have seven members.

“Nine is a little too many, actually; five is not enough,” Coulter said.

In other library board news:

• the board will revisit an internet provider contract to increase internet speeds at a later date.
• the board postponed a motion to only send out thank you letters for donation recognitions.

Programs

Current programming includes “What’s On Your Nightstand?,” a book club for adults that meets Thursdays.

In honor of Women’s History Month, The Gibson Memorial Library includes selections from their catalog on their website including “My Own Words” by Ruth Bader Ginsburg and more.

For more information, visit the library’s Facebook page, their website creston.lib.ia.us, or call 641-782-2277.