Board of Directors Meeting Minutes – January 18, 2023

Agenda

1. Approval of minutes for the November 9, 2022 meeting (action required)
2. Election of Officers (action required)
3. Nominating Committee
4. Schedule of Requisitions, Contracts and Licenses (info only)
5. Programming Update (info only)
6. CPL Operations and Facilities Report (info only)
7. Commissioner’s Report (info only)
   • Chicagoans of the Year for Books
   • Chicago’s First Poet Laureate
   • Equity Assessment Update
   • Annual Report
   • Osterman Awards
   • Service Awards
   • New Hires, Promotions and Retirements
8. Chicago Public Library Foundation Report (info only)
9. Other Business
10. Public Comment

Next Board meeting: May 16, 2023, 9:00 a.m. / Virtual Meeting

Open Session Minutes

Physically Present: None

Present by Means of Video or Audio Conference: Linda Johnson Rice, Christopher Valenti, Lynn Lockwood, Jodi Block, Barbara Bowman, Ivy Walker, Dominique Jordan Turner

Absent: Michelle Boone, Sandra Delgado

Approval of minutes for the November 9, 2022 meeting (action required)

 The Board voted (7-0) to approve the minutes from the November 9, 2022 meeting.

Election of Officers (action required)

Directors Jodi Block and Lynn Lockwood were selected to serve on the nominating committee for the 2023 Election of Officers for the CPL Board of Directors. Directors are appointed for a one-year term.

Jodi Block represented the nominating committee and proposed the following slate for 2023:

• Linda Johnson Rice, President
• Christopher P. Valenti, Vice President
• Lynn Lockwood, Secretary

As there were no objections to the proposed slate, the board voted (7-0) to approve the 2023 Officers for the CPL Board of Directors.

Schedule of Requisitions, Contracts and Licenses (info only)

Teri Campbell, Deputy Commissioner of Administration and Finance, presented the quarterly report on contracts and purchases made for magazines, books, databases, periodicals and articles of educational and instructional nature. For this quarter (November 1, 2022 – December 31, 2022), 3,277 invoices totaling $3,672,493 were paid to various vendors. Costs are in line with normal spending.

Programming Update (info only)

First Deputy Commissioner Messner provided an update on programming being offered at CPL locations systemwide, highlighting the following:

The 81 Club

Since its launch on December 1^st, the 81 Club has acquired 825 new members as of January 11, 2023. The 81 Club brings in-classroom access to roughly 322,000 CPS students and over 21,000 teachers at 635 schools. Almost half of these new members were made at the Portage-Cragin Branch due to some amazing outreach to local schools by their Children's Librarian, Mary Dressler, and their Teen Librarian, Jessica Brown, and their stellar Head Library Clerk, Enisa Carkovic.

College and Career Saturdays

On January 21^st, the YOUmedia team kicked-off the Design Your Life After High School: College and Career Saturdays event series. The series will explore the wide variety of options available after high school. Each event will cover a different field. Patrons will learn about opportunities, internships, college, trade programs, and network with industry professionals. The first event will focus on computer science, coding, and gaming. Presenters will include Nether Realm Studios, Shedd Aquarium, City Colleges, and Code Your Dreams. Free lunch for all and raffle prizes for participation.

Chicago Teen Gamers Guild (CTGG)

The YOUmedia team is working with teens to plan for the upcoming Gamers Universe, calendared on June 24^th. This is an all-ages gaming convention led by teens that will be held at HWLC. Gamers Universe will include an eSports tournament, cosplay contest and workshops, games created by CTGG game design interns at Chicago Bee, Dunning, Greater Grand Crossing, South Shore, and HWLC! 25 teens attended their first planning meeting for the Chicago Teen Gamers Guild on Saturday, January 7th.

Live from…not the Library

CPL created a hybrid program series, Live from…not the Library, held simultaneously in-person and on Zoom, bringing Chicago's cultural institutions into homes and classrooms while bringing the Library into the institutions! CSFE outreach specialist Megan McFarlane works in partnership with CPL’s cultural committees and branch staff to lead live storytimes on site with a member of the partner museum's education staff. Kids at the museum get an early literacy program and kids at home or in school have the chance to hear from experts and ask questions.

We've recently begun inviting CPS pre-k classrooms to participate in these programs as virtual field trips and as part of the experience, create a packet of extension activities that educators can use to build literacy lessons around the subject of the storytime. Upcoming programs include two programs at the Field Museum to celebrate Black History Month and a birthday celebration at the Chicago Cultural Center. 

Outreach to the Cook County Department of Corrections on Family Visiting Days

CSFE staff led by Eva Wiehl and Alice Richards make monthly visits on family visitation days to:

• Issue library cards on-site to families;
• Provide pop-up programming for kids and families while they wait;
• Provide giveaway books and grab-and-go kits; and,
• Share information about library programs and services.

We are working to develop a more substantial partnership, including ways that we could be part of quarterly contact visitation days, when incarcerated parents have the opportunity to hold their children.

Professional Development for CSFE Staff

New Children Services and Family Engagement staff are receiving professional develop to learn about services offered to children. On January 19, staff will participate in a Story Hour Boot Camp to introduce concepts and model best practices for engaging, fun, and innovative story times.

Staff will also participate in Brinson training with Maya Smart, author of Reading for Our Lives. Maya Smart is an author and educator who will share concrete tips with children’s staff that will assist them with educating parents on how to help their children learn to read. This staff development workshop will be paired with a workshop for parents, where Ms. Smart will engage parents while CPL staff facilitate play with young children.

2023 Civic Leadership Academy Fellow

Shelley Hughes, CPL’s Director of Children Services and Family Engagement, was selected as a 2023 Civic Leadership Academy Fellow with the University of Chicago’s Center for Effective Government (CEG) at the Harris School of Public Policy. The 2023 class of CLA fellows is comprised of 30 of the area’s most promising government and nonprofit leaders, which includes seven fellows from City of Chicago government. This program fuels an exchange of ideas across Chicago and Cook County that improves practices and civic outcomes while spurring greater collaboration and innovation across these institutions. CLA fellows and alumni hold positions as change-makers in our communities, advancing reform and spurring progress on many critical policy issues. This is the ninth cohort of the Center’s prestigious interdisciplinary leadership development program.

Community Connections Fund

Through the support of our generous donors, the Chicago Public Library Foundation launched the Community Connections Fund grant earlier this year. Select branches were awarded up to $1000 to provide programs and initiatives at their locations that would specifically benefit their community. Out of the 51 branches that were awarded the grant, 21 locations have completed their program/initiative thus far.

Ms. Messner highlighted three branches that have participated thus far:

Woodson - Woodson Regional hosted local Chicago authors at their First Community Book Fair. In Fall 2022, they provided a setting for local Chicago authors in the community and invited 10 authors to participate in our 2022 Community Book Fair. Four authors were able to participate, and each author was allotted 15 minutes of center stage time to present a talk about the creation and execution of their writing projects, with additional time for Q and A. The writers shared insightful personal details on to the mic regarding their book, process for writing and getting it published.

The event took place outside in our beautiful Woodson Garden on a lovely sunny Saturday, September 24, 2022; Noon to 3pm. Approximately 35 people attended the event.     

The individual authors included:

Bertina Power, The Power of You! No One is You, and that is your Power;

Michael Ewing, One That Got Away, Unchained by Destiny;

Michol Whitney, Love Has No Skin Tone, A thanks Big Enough, I did it in 2020!; and

Pemon Rami, When Blackness Was Golden! Observation from the Front Line: The Memoir of Pemon Rami.

These books were reviewed and added to the CPL collection.     

North Austin - North Austin hosted an outdoor concert, with live band entertainment. The concert was held on the afternoon of August 20^th at 1PM. Lunch was provided to patrons that attended along with a CPL swag bag that included PPE, CPL swag and branch information. The outdoor concert turned indoors due to weather conditions but was still a huge success.

Budlong Woods - The Budlong Woods Branch, with its uniquely expansive outdoor space, has a well-established namesake association with both gardening and preserving the natural environment. Famed local farmer and flower nurseryman, Lyman Budlong, was well known for his family’s expansive gardens and wooded nature preserve.  Recent efforts to attract users to the library reflect this neighborhood horticultural tradition.  They include: an ongoing library reading garden project featuring a mural by Hector Duarte, staff wildflower gardening that has attracted birds, bees, and butterflies, and for kids ages 6-12, a City of Stories Junior Garden Club series, which will include a Chicago Botanic Garden event involving planting milkweed flowers.

Budlong Woods built on these efforts by fostering a love of gardening and hands-on nature education for all ages.  Grant funds were used to purchase seeds for a seasonally appropriate seed library, gorilla gardening kits to check out (including seed pack, simple hand-held garden tools, and sprinkler jug), three small raised garden beds with which to use for further dig-and-plant Junior Garden Club programming, and autumn Midwestern wildflower seed to conduct a pollinator program for teens, who will re-populate one of our neglected flower gardens. 

African American History Month

In honor of African American History Month, CPL hosted a number of programs, film screenings and book discussions related to black history. We kicked off the month with the opening program on Feb 4^th “Music of the Movement” facilitated by radio personality Mario Smith with panelists: DJ Ayana Contreras.

Other events included:

• Pemon Rami, author of his memoir “When Blackness Was Golden!” as part of our Voices for Justice series, in conversation with radio, TV, and Special Event Producer Sylvia Ewing.
• “When Blackness Was Golden” book discussion, sharing Mr. Rami’s coming-of-age story as a young man growing up in Chicago. Encapsulated by the body politics of the civil rights movement, the student movement, the Black arts movement, and the Black theatre and film movements, this book highlights influential eras of Black History.
• I Love my Hair Braiding Class
• DIY Printing and Traditional West African Writing Systems
• Closing Program - Our Brothers: A Dialogue on the Current Perception of Black Men facilitated by Whitney Young Branch Manager, Mitchell Smith with panelists; Obari Cartman, Mawuli Davis and Damon Mosley.

Chicago Public Library 150^th Year Anniversary

This year marks Chicago Public Library’s 150^th anniversary. Throughout 2023, all CPL locations will celebrate our great libraries and recognize our accomplishments over the past 150 years. Ms. Messner shared a video that highlighted CPL’s successes and talked about some of the programs and events that will take place this year emphasizing the following:

• Top 150 Book List – CPL will reveal the top 150 books throughout CPL's history with a series of specially curated lists for children, teens, and adults!
• 150th Anniversary Edition Library Cards – Patrons will have the opportunity to get a 150th Anniversary collector’s edition library card.
• Harold Washington Library Windows Exhibit - Utilizing the Harold Washington Library Center's windows, CPL will create an engaging exhibit that patrons can interact with 24/7 throughout the year, just by looking in the window.
• Stories We Tell: Branch History Exhibit Series (formerly: CPL In Your Neighborhood History Exhibits) - Utilizing CPL's archives and special collections, we will provide grants for up to ten historically significant branches to research, curate and produce a special exhibit at their location that celebrates the history and legacy of their branch in their community.
• CPL on Wintrust’s The Mural Building – CPL will commission a local artist to create a 150th anniversary mural to be displayed on The Mural Building from mid-May – end of June.
• Authors in the Library Series – CPL will use the popular mainstage author series to bring back and celebrate some of the most impactful authors in the last 150 years.
• Secrets of CPL Video Series - CPL will produce a video series of "behind the scenes" secrets from the CPL, from how our drivers move books to the most interesting things in our archives.
• Chicago's Next Author Workshops - Special writing workshops for tweens will be held throughout the year to encourage Chicagoans who wish to become writers. A selection of produced writing will be added to the CPL collection.
• Citywide Birthday Party - CPL will host a citywide “birthday party” at all 81 neighborhood locations. Each location will receive a “selfie station” for photos, decorations, cake, giveaways, and the opportunity to host a performer such as a musician, band, storyteller, puppeteer, etc. Every Chicagoan will be able to walk to the library in their neighborhood to take part in this celebration!

CPL Operations and Facilities Report (info only)

Deputy Commissioner Clemons provided a brief update on CPL operations and facility projects.

Facilities - CPL and AIS are finalizing the locations that will undergo the CARE projects in 2023. Mount Greenwood is a carryover from 2022 for CARE and will be closed for four weeks at the beginning of February. Also working with AIS regarding their deferred maintenance plan for our facilities and finalizing those plans as well.

Operations – CPL stepped in to assist the Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS) by serving as a temporary warming center during times of extreme weather around the holidays between December 23^rd thru December 26^th. CPL was able to provide a safe, warm and welcoming space at the Harold Washington Library Center to patrons that were in need of shelter overnight. CBRE, the security team and CPL staff were all crucial in supporting this effort. We were able to provide approximately 60 patrons with shelter during this time of need.  

Commissioner’s Report (info only)

 Commissioner Brown’s report highlighted the following:

• Commissioner Brown was recognized in the Chicago Tribune along with other Chicago librarians and library workers as Chicagoans of the Year for Books. CPL has been a visible contributor to this national dialogue with our Book Sanctuary initiative, and most recently hosting Art Spiegelman author of the frequently challenged book, Maus.
• In collaboration with the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) and the Poetry Foundation, CPL will participate in the inaugural Chicago Poet Laureate Program to increase awareness of Chicago’s historic contributions to the literary arts, while celebrating and honoring the efforts of Chicago’s working artists.
• In support of providing equity and diversity within our libraries, CPL has established our Equity Office, led by Desiree Abu-Odeh, Senior Equity Officer and Equity Officer Eric Reyes and several other CPL staff. The team has been participating in a 9-month Equity and Racial Justice learning program, to help build racial equity knowledge and develop the tools to inform our equity work moving forward. There will also be an equity assessment conducted this year.
• Commissioner Brown presented CPL’s annual service numbers and plans for publishing the 2022 annual report.
• In December Mayor Lightfoot and First Lady Amy Eshleman held the 2022 Kathy Osterman Awards. Two CPL staff were recognized as finalists: Ebony Jones, Executive Assistant, and Greg Diaz, District Four Chief, for their support and mentorship respectively; and Julie Koslowsky, Director of Teen Services, was presented with an Outstanding Innovator Award for her leadership on The 81 Club and CPL’s initiative to bring library cards into every CPS classroom and to every student.
• Commissioner Brown shared a special thank you to our 73 staff members that are celebrating milestone anniversaries with the City of Chicago this year.
• CPL welcomes our new staff new to our senior team and congratulate those recently promoted:
  • Renee Neumeier joined CPL as the new Director of Staff and Organizational Development.
  • Katherine Lapinski has been promoted as the new Library Division Chief for Adult Services.
  • Julie Koslowsky has been promoted as the new Library Division Chief for the Teen Services.
• Lastly, Commissioner Brown acknowledged and thanked those that have retired this quarter:
  • Marilyn Collins – Library Associate, Legler, 44 years of service
  • Shun-Ken Hui – Librarian IV, Rogers Park, 34 years of service
  • Veyshon Edmond – Librarian IV, Wrightwood-Ashburn, 28 years of service

Chicago Public Library Foundation Report (info only)

Brenda Langstraat, President & CEO of the Chicago Public Library Foundation provided an update on contributions and initiatives reached by the Foundation:

Recent contributions made to the Foundation on behalf of CPL include:

• $250,000 grant from the MacArthur Foundation in support of the The 81 Club
• A two-year, $150,000 investment from Exelon with focus on the Maker Lab, CyberNavigators, and YOUmedia programs

The Foundation is also planning for the following:

• The CPLF Associate Board host Night in the Stacks at HWLC on April
• The 2023 Library Foundation Awards event will be held in-person this fall at the UIC Forum, date TBD.

Other Business

None

Public Comment

The board addressed comments from the public in support of a stand-alone library for the Back of the Yards community, out of concern that the current location which is co-located with a CPS school is not sufficient and is potentially unsafe for patrons that solely look to visit the library.

While CPL is collaborating with partner city departments to explore models for a future location, from an operational perspective, libraries in co-located spaces have allowed CPL to provide opportunities to those specific communities in collaboration with our partners and be a part of larger developments. The level of use at our co-located locations has been robust and on par with other stand-alone library locations.

Commissioner’s Report

Chicagoans of the Year for Books

In December the Chicago Tribune recognized Chicago librarians and library workers when they named them their Chicagoans of the Year for Books. This honor acknowledges the work of our CPL staff to provide access to diverse collections and stories, fulfilling our mission of ensuring the freedom the read. This award is especially meaningful because it comes at a time when libraries are witnessing very public challenges to this mission. Thanks to the support of Mayor Lightfoot, our Library Board and Foundation, CPL has been a visible contributor to this national dialogue with our Book Sanctuary initiative, and most recently hosting Art Spiegelman author of frequently challenged Maus to a packed Pritzker Auditorium.

Chicago’s First Poet Laureate

The City of Chicago has announced its inaugural Chicago Poet Laureate Program. This is thanks to our partners at the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) and the Poetry Foundation. The program will increase awareness of Chicago’s historic contributions to the literary arts, while celebrating and honoring the efforts of Chicago’s working artists. The Poet Laureate will serve a two-year term and be awarded a grant of $50,000 for the commissioning of new poems and will create a public program series for youth and students. Chicagoans are invited to submit their nominations through January 18, 2023 at Chicago.gov/PoetLaureate.

Equity Assessment Update

In the fall of 2022 CPL established our Equity Office, led by Desiree Abu-Odeh, Senior Equity Officer and Equity Officer Eric Reyes. Since established, the team and seven CPL staff have been participating in a 9- month Equity and Racial Justice learning program, run by the City Office of Equity and Racial Justice.

Through our participation, the team is building racial equity knowledge and developing the tools to inform our equity work moving forward. CPL’s Equity Office has also started planning a system-wide Equity Assessment.

The Assessment will be conducted in 2023, and will help establish CPL’s equity strategy, and an action plan to advance our mission of providing access to information and knowledge. The intent of the Assessment will be to move beyond any single initiative, and to look to the library’s core work, and consider what we do particularly well, how we can build on our strengths, as well as what we can improve. CPL will regularly communicate with the Library Board and staff on our planning and implementation progress throughout. We anticipate the assessment spanning between twelve and eighteen months.

Outside of the Assessment, the Equity Office will work with CPL leadership on equity training, increasing awareness of ongoing equity work at CPL, and prioritizing patron engagement during the Assessment and beyond.

Annual Report

At CPL, we empower Chicagoans by providing opportunities to improve lives through resources and learning. We lead through connections, empowerment, inspiration and imagination. During a time when diverse voices are under attack, we’re reminded why public libraries are our most democratic institution and why our mission is more important than ever. Commissioner Brown will present CPL’s annual service numbers and plans for publishing the 2022 annual report.

Osterman Awards

On December 13th Mayor Lightfoot and First Lady Amy Eshleman held the 2022 Kathy Osterman Awards at the Harold Washington Library Center Winter Garden. City staff were recognized for their innovation, leadership, and mentorship. Two CPL staff were recognized as finalists: Ebony Jones, Executive Assistant, and Greg Diaz, District Four Chief, for their support and mentorship respectively. Mayor Lightfoot presented Julie Koslowsky, Director of Teen Services, with an Outstanding Innovator Award for her leadership on The 81 Club, CPL’s initiative to bring library cards into every CPS classroom and to every student. We congratulate and thank Ebony, Greg, and Julie.

Service Awards

A special thank you to our 71 staff members that are celebrating milestone anniversaries with the City of Chicago.

New Hires

Director of Staff and Organizational Development

Renee Neumeier has joined CPL as the new Director of Staff and Organizational Development. Renee has worked in public libraries for more than 15 years and has a Master’s in Library and Information Science. Renee spent the past 10 years serving the Evanston Public Library, most recently as their Innovation and Digital Learning Manager. Throughout her career Renee has been passionate about supporting staff to deliver their best services and to help staff personally and professionally develop. She has planned staff development days and implemented continuous DEI development opportunities.

In the coming year Renee will be working with her colleagues to firm up the onboarding across the system, implement All Staff Institute Day, determine the EDI-J training curriculum for staff, provide training on best practices in community engagement, to name just a few. Along with those projects, Renee is very excited about addressing staff well-being, retention and creating a culture of inclusion.

Promotions

Library Division Chief – Adult Services

It is my pleasure to introduce Katherine Lapinski as the new Library Division Chief for Adult Services at CPL! Kate started in her new role on December 1^st.

Kate received her MLIS degree from Dominican University and joined the CPL team in 2015. Since then, she has played a key role in supporting the Adult Services department. Some of her undertakings include coordinating the hiring of new Adult Services staff, as well as, developing the onboarding and training plans for these new positions; managing relevant training and learning opportunities for Adult Services staff system-wide to ensure excellent and consistent levels of service at every location; and managing adult education and economic advancement resources and programming, like Chicago DigitalLearn and learning circles, throughout the CPL system.

Kate has maintained several essential partnerships that support adult learning and economic advancement at CPL. Some of which include Chicago Connected, Digital Literacy Guiding Team; We Will Chicago, Advisory Group: Lifelong Learning Pillar; Digital Equity Council, Guiding Team; and Workforce Operational Strategy (Mayor’s Office) to mention a few. She has also been the point person for providing support and guidance for the Adult Services department’s focus areas – adult learning, digital literacy, and job-seeking support.

Library Division Chief – Teen Services

I would also like to introduce Julie Koslowsky as the new Library Division Chief for the Teen Services at CPL! Julie also started in her new role on December 1^st.

Julie’s relationship with CPL began in 2013 as a Summer Learning Challenge Floating intern, and since then, she has continued to move up the ranks where she most recently served as the Outreach Coordinator for the Teen Services Department. She holds 3 degrees, one of which is her MLIS attained from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Some of her most recent accomplishments include leading the Student Success Account project, a Chicago Public Schools partnership to lower resource barriers and provide 21st century learning opportunities for students and teachers; coordinating the expansion of the ChiTeen Lit Fest, the first

by-teens-for-teens literary festival in the country, from two days to a full week; organizing staff and logistics for CPL representation at 50+ annual events including Mayor Lightfoot’s Summer Kickback Series in 2022 and Sundays on State which was named “Best New Event in 2021” by Time Out Chicago; and creating a mentorship system for all CPL Teen staff aligned with the library’s strategic plan.

Julie was also one of the key contributors to the advancement of YOUmedia. As a YOUmedia specialist she worked in YOUmedia spaces across the system; created and executed teen programming related to technology and civic engagement by following YOUmedia’s HOMAGO and Connected Learning principles; and worked with the YOUmedia National Network to develop podcast and google hangout ideas to create opportunities for library workers to cultivate best practices, document their work, create network and local policies, maintain restorative justice practices, and build community across the National YOUmedia Network.

Retirements

• Marilyn Collins – Library Associate, Leger, 44 years of service
• Shun-Ken Hui – Librarian IV, Rogers Park, 34 years of service
• Veyshon Edmond – Librarian IV, Wrightwood Ashburn, 28 years of service

Chicago Public Library Foundation Report

Brenda Langstraat Bui, President & CEO of the Chicago Public Library Foundation, provided an update on behalf of the staff and Board of the Chicago Public Library Foundation and highlighted the following:

Recent Contributions

• Thanks to a $250,000 catalyst grant from the MacArthur Foundation, we are convening partners citywide to further The 81 Club strategy and get the word out to all 81 branches, 322,106 CPS students, and 635 CPS schools!

• Exelon has committed to a two-year, $150,000 investment in three key programs: Maker Lab, CyberNavigators, and YOUmedia.

Exciting Updates

• Night in the Stacks is back! Hosted by our Associate Board, this high-energy celebration will take place April 14 from 7-11pm in the Winter Garden. Visit https://cplfoundation.org/events/night-in-the-stacks/ for more information about tickets and sponsorships; all contributions support our work with the Library.
• The 2023 Library Foundation Awards event will be held in-person on October 10-12 from 5:00-9:00pm at the UIC Forum. (Final date to be determined.) Our 2022 public broadcast featuring excerpts from the evening and other special Library content has been viewed nearly 10,000 times to date! Tune in at https://cplfoundation.org/awards/ to hear from last year’s honorees, Pulitzer-Prize winning playwright Tony Kushner, Top Chef Rick Bayless, and TikTok sensation Shermann “Dilla” Thomas.