Birmingham Public Library Board Minutes

Call To Order

• The March 9, 2021 board meeting was called to order by Eunice Johnson Rogers at 4:30 p.m.
• Lynn Flowers-Martin provided the Invocation.

Public Voices

None.

Swearing in of Officers

• Swearing in of Board of Trustee Officers - Eunice Johnson Rogers (President), Willie Davis III (Vice President), and Lynn Flowers-Martin (Parliamentarian).

Presentations

Annual Report

Janine Langston presented the 2019-2020 Annual Report.

• Eunice Johnson Rogers called for a motion to accept the Annual Report as presented.
• Willie Davis motioned to accept the Annual Report as presented.
• Mona Lisa Morris seconded the motion.
• The Board responded unanimously in favor to approve the motion.
• Eunice Johnson Rogers confirmed the Annual Report was accepted as presented.

Approval of Consent Agenda

Approval of the Consent Agenda: Approval

All items designated as “consent” are considered to be routine and non-controversial and will be approved by one motion.

• Minutes of February 9, 2021 Board Meeting
• Personnel Actions
• Eunice Johnson Rogers called for a motion to accept the Consent Agenda as presented.
• Sherri Nielson motioned to accept the Consent Agenda as presented.
• James Sullivan seconded the motion.
• The Board responded unanimously in favor to approve the motion.
• Eunice Johnson Rogers confirmed the Consent Agenda was approved as printed..

Terry Oglesby, City Architect

No Report

Malera Wright, Assistant City Attorney

It is recommended the worker’s compensation claim from a BPL staff member for an incident occurring on December 31, 2020 be denied.

• Eunice Johnson Rogers called for a motion to deny the workers’ compensation claim.
• Judge Scott Vowell motioned to accept denial of claim.
• Sherri Nielsen seconded the motion.
• The Board responded unanimously in favor to approve the motion.
• Eunice Johnson Rogers confirmed the denial of the workers’ compensation claim was approved.

Operational Items Requiring Board Approval

Damein Baity, Finance Report

Damein Baity, Chief Financial Officer, presented the financial report to the board.

• Eunice Johnson Rogers called for a motion to accept the financial report.
• Judge Scott Vowell motioned to accept the financial report.
• Mona Lisa Morris seconded the motion.
• The Board responded unanimously in favor of the motion to accept.
• Eunice Johnson Rogers confirmed the motion carried.

Reports of the Committees

Advocacy, Fundraising & Development Committee

• James Sullivan reported the committee met on March 2 and discussed the partnership with the transit authority.
• Willie Davis III mentioned Food Truck Fridays and the change of dates.

Janine Langston reported on Library Giving Day, to take place during National Library Week in April. BPL is looking to host activities for staff. Friends Foundation will partner with BPL. There was discussion on the 12% budget reduction proposed by the City.

• Eunice Johnson Rogers called for a motion to accept the recommendation of Library Giving Day from the Advocacy committee.
• James Sullivan motioned to accept the recommendation.
• Lynn Flowers-Martin seconded the motion.
• The Board responded unanimously in favor of the motion to accept the recommendation of the Advocacy Committee.
• Eunice Johnson Rogers confirmed the motion carried.

Finance Committee

The Finance Committee reported on their meeting with the Auditors.

• Eunice Johnson Rogers called for a motion to accept the auditor’s report as presented.
• Mona Lisa Morris motioned to accept the auditor’s report. James Sullivan seconded the motion.
• The Board responded unanimously in favor of the motion to accept the auditor’s report.
• Eunice Johnson Rogers confirmed the motion carried.

Unfinished Business

None.

New Business

• Judge Scott Vowell asked for a progress report on the hiring of a new Executive Director.
• Eunice Johnson Rogers responded the Board will refer back to the Personnel Committee.

Interim Director's Report:

Janine Langston reported on several topics including:

• The BJCTA/BPL partnership. There is a QR code to access the BPL catalog on your smart device, called BPL On the Go. Will be rolling it out on Media Day. Content will be continuously updated.
• There is a new partnership with the Birmingham City Schools and the Library’s Overdrive collection. Students will now have access to our Overdrive collection with their city school ID.
• BPL has numerous programs and presentations for Black History Month and Women’s History Month.
• Our Southern History and Archives Departments have been very active.

Board Member's Comments

Presented.

Next Board Meeting is Tuesday, April 13, 2021

Adjourned at 5:25 p.m.

Submitted By

Janine Langston, Interim Director