11/08/2023 - MinutesTigard Public Library Board Meeting Minutes – November 8, 2023
TIGARD PUBLIC LIBRARY BOARD MINUTES – Wednesday, November 8, 2023 – Page 1 of 3
1. BOARD MEETING
A. At 6:30 p.m. Board Chair Bogert called the Tigard Public Library Board Meeting to order.
B. Chair Bogert called the roll.
C. Call to Board and Staff for Non-Agenda Items – None.
2. PUBLIC COMMENT
A. Follow-up to Previous Public Comment: None
B. Public Comment – Written: None
C. Public Comment – In Person: None
D. Public Comment – Phone-in or Video: None
3. APPROVE MINUTES
A. Board Chair Bogert moved to approve the Library Board minutes for the October 11, 2023
meeting. The motion was seconded by Board Vice-Chair Ristau, and the motion passed
unanimously.
4. ICEBREAKER
Library Director Bernard asked everyone in attendance the icebreaker question: What’s the most
unique pet you’ve ever cared for?
5. MEET THE TEAM
Present Absent
Christopher Allen
Helen Allen
Mary Bogert, Chair
Candice Coleman
Shirley Edwards
Bart Hawkins
Kate Ristau (Vice-Chair)
Alan Smith (Alternate)
TIGARD PUBLIC LIBRARY BOARD MINUTES – Wednesday, November 8, 2023 – Page 2 of 3
Our “Meet the Team” guest was Tara Morissette, Senior Library Assistant in Circulation. Tara
shared that the Circulation Division is piloting a new type of training to support the City’s Racial
Equity efforts and the Library’s strategic plan. The training is called “Culture of Belonging”
because the intent is to create space and build greater empathy and inclusion for groups that
are most marginalized and/or targeted in workplaces today.
Tara also shared information about our new Holds Lockers, a pilot project in partnership with
WCCLS (Washington County Cooperative Library Services). Currently, Circulation teammates are
focusing on how to troubleshoot issues and make the workflow more efficient. The board
discussed how patrons are using the new service. We only have one month of data, but so far
one of the busiest hours is 9 to 10 a.m. when the lobby is open but the Library is not. We will
continue to collect data on how the lockers are used throughout the two-year pilot project; this
data will help other libraries in our cooperative decide whether to pursue lockers of their own.
6. DIRECTOR’S REPORT
Library accomplishments: Library Director Bernard reported to the board about the Oregon
Public Library Statistical Report. This report gathers information from all public libraries
throughout the state. From the report so far, it appears that the library programming numbers
may be bouncing back to pre-pandemic numbers.
Opportunity Café: Chilita's grand opening happened right before the Library Board meeting,
and it was well-attended.
Teammates and Volunteers: The Library has three new on-call librarians and will soon open a
recruitment for on-call library assistants. Our Volunteer Coordinator has onboarded 7 new
volunteers and is planning for our next volunteer orientation on January 25th.
Professional development: Several Library teammates, including Library Director Bernard,
attended the Northwest Public Employees Diversity Conference. Lou Radja, the keynote speaker,
spoke about the Congolese philosophy of Ubuntu. One of its tenets is about embracing curiosity
over judgment.
Library outreach: Teammates represented the Library at Project Homeless Connect outreach
event at NW Christian Church, reaching 82 people, giving away nearly 100 paperback books, and
connecting with other organizations that serve the Tigard community.
Library programs: The Library team is working with TPD to provide an enhanced security
presence for our annual Holocaust Remembrance program on the anniversary of Kristallnacht, this
Thursday, November 9th. This presence will include Commander McDonald at the event and an
increased patrol near the Library building. Library Director Bernard and Readers Services Manager
Bell will also be at the event.
TIGARD PUBLIC LIBRARY BOARD MINUTES – Wednesday, November 8, 2023 – Page 3 of 3
Other programs included: For International Observe the Moon night, the sky was cloudy, so the
library showed a livecast from NASA and patrons drank warm beverages. 70 patrons participated
in the Pizza and Pajamas Story Time. Also, the Tualatin Valley Community Band concert has
returned to the Library with 129 attendees and 60 musicians. A local grocery store, H-Mart,
donated 500 Korean language books to the library.
Board Member H. Allen brought up the concept of food deserts, and asked if there were library
deserts. Library Director Bernard confirmed there are areas throughout the country and our
county where libraries are less accessible. She also shared that the City of Tigard has been
working on an equity mapping project, which will help us visualize the accessibility of public
transportation, parks, and more. There was some interest from the board in hearing more about
the equity mapping project in the new year. Additionally, there was some further discussion
about food insecurity in Tigard, and the various programs in place to address it.
Confidential Executive Assistant Goodey mentioned her help in collecting the 500 donated books
from H-Mart. Board Member Hawkins wanted to know what the library’s largest collection was in
another language. Staff will follow up on this request. Additionally, Library Director Bernard
suggested that we could invite subject selectors for other languages to future Library Board
meetings, and the board expressed interest.
7. NON-AGENDA ITEMS
Chair Bogert reminded the board that our next meeting will be on Wednesday, December 13th,
2023.
8. ADJOURNMENT
At 7:27 p.m. Chair Bogert adjourned the meeting.
Prepared by
Accepted on December 13, 2023