NOTICE OF A PUBLIC MEETING

LIBRARY BOARD OF CONTROL MEETING AGENDA

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2023

3:00 pm at Ville Platte Main Library

916 West Main Street, Ville Platte, Louisiana 70586

(If you have a disability, please notify us ahead of time for accommodations)

1. Opening Business

1. Call to Order, Prayer, Pledge of Allegiance
2. Roll Call
3. Approval/Amendment of Agenda
4. Approval of Minutes from Previous Meeting
5. Public Comments on Agenda Items

1. Old Business

1. Update from the new Basile Branch library committee meeting held on 11/14/23

1. New Business

1. Board of Control training by State Library Director Meg Placke.
2. Approval of the following policies that have already been revised and reviewed: Collection, Circulation, and new restrictive Library Cards.
3. Setting a construction budget for the new Basile Branch Library Project
4. Approving the payment of $31,500 from the Capital Expense account that was approved for the Turkey Creek Fiber extension project that is now complete. (Note: Savings of $8,500 from the original commitment of $40K) 
5. Set the staff Holiday Calendar for 2024
6. Set the 2024 meeting dates for the Board of Control.
7. Announce the following staff changes: Sandra Veillon (FT) and Kay Cardenas (PT) have left our employ. Mrs. Ruth Stanley (FT) will retire mid-January 2024. These changes resulted in our advertising for a new FT employee. Considering the above changes, we’d like to hire and additional FT employee. 
8. Approve annual step increases for employees
9. Approval of the 2024 Budget
10. Approval of two 2024 Fine Free periods for the months of August and December

1. Reports

1. Financials
2. Facilities Report
3. Outreach Report

       v.          Adjournment                                                      Next meeting: ______________________

The Evangeline Parish Library Board of Control will meet on Monday, November 27th at 3 pm in the Genealogy Room for training provided by state librarian Meg Placke.  It will be followed by their regular board meeting at 4pm. An agenda is posted at the libraries and on the webpage. 

We are partnering this year with CASA for their Christmas TOY DRIVE program and offering an incentive to our patrons to participate. From now until December11th, if you drop off a NEW, UNWRAPPED toy at the main library or any branch you will receive up to $10 off your library fines for each toy donated! Please share this opportunity to give the joy of gifts for a child and reduce any fines that you may have on your library account! This week the main library and its branches around the parish are now participating in the “Keep Louisiana Beautifully campaign by making litter clean up supplies readily available for check out. With your library card, you will be able to check out a cleanup kit which includes a safety vest, grabber, 2 trash bags, and instructions on how to conduct your cleanup for a period of one week.  This program provides the perfect opportunity for students to get service hours for school; Brownie or Girl Scout troops to earn a badge; or small homeschool groups, youth groups to care for their neighborhood. This program is for adults too! Early notices: (1) The Fall Library Fest is slated for Saturday, December 9th.Contact Keishia Ford for more information. The deadline to sign up is November 30, 2023. This is a FREE, family fun event! Look who’s coming already: AUTHORS: Rhonda Brasseaux, Linda Fontenot, Jessica Deen Norris, Darisa La Belle Griffith Ricks, Julie Beth Davis, Christopher Fontenot, Jasonnaye Wilson. VENDOR/ARTISTS: Lacy Vidrine,  Sleepy Parrot Charles Fontenot, Belinda Williams, Jalaina Freeman & Adrienne Griffith, Katelyn Beaubouef.  COOK: Sarah Butler. INFORMATION: Save Our Community Kid Adventure Camps. FUNDRAISER: Jane & Roland Vidrine. HUGE USED NOOK SALE TOO!! Visit the Facebook page of your favorite library branch to see information about programs unique to them. Also, visit our website www.evangelinelibrary.org for updates. You can always call the main library @ 337-363-1369 or send an email to [email protected] for more information and never forget that libraries do change lives…. even in the cloud! Suzy Lemoine

We continue to salute our Veterans for the sacrifices that they made to allow us the FREEDOMS that we are able to enjoy today!

This Tuesday, November 14^th, the mail library will again host a FREE Medicare Information Seminar from 9:30 am to Noon. Please share this good news. Beginning on Monday, November 20^th, the main library and its branches around the parish will participate in the “Keep Louisiana Beautiful” campaign by making litter clean up supplies readily available for check out. With your library card, you will be able to check out a cleanup kit which includes a safety vest, grabber, 2 trash bags, and instructions on how to conduct your cleanup for a period of one week.  This program provides the perfect opportunity for students to get service hours for school; Brownie or Girl Scout troops to earn a badge; or small homeschool groups, youth groups to care for their neighborhood. This program is for adults too! Keep Louisiana Beautiful is an anti?litter and community improvement non-profit organization focused on achieving a clean and beautiful Louisiana through education, enforcement, public awareness, and community engagement. Keep Louisiana Beautiful is affiliated with Keep America Beautiful and is comprised of a statewide network of 44 Community Affiliates and 10 University Affiliates. Learn more at www.keeplouisianabeautiful.org.

Early notices: (1) The Fall Library Fest is slated for Saturday, December 9^th. Contact Keishia Ford for more information. The deadline to sign up is November 30, 2023. This is a FREE, family fun event! Look who’s coming already: AUTHORS: Rhonda Brasseaux, Linda Fontenot, Jessica Deen Norris, Darisa La Belle Griffith Ricks, Julie Beth Davis, Christopher Fontenot, Jasonnaye Wilson. VENDOR/ARTISTS:  Sleepy Parrot Charles Fontenot, Belinda Williams, Jalaina Freeman & Adrienne Griffith, Katelyn Beaubouef.  COOK: Sarah Butler. INFORMATION: Save Our Community Kid Adventure Camps. FUNDRAISER: Jane & Roland Vidrine. (2) The Evangeline Parish Library Board of Control will meet on Monday, November 27^th, at 3 pm for training by state librarian Meg Placke. Its regular board meeting will follow.

Visit the Facebook page of your favorite library branch to see information about programs unique to them. Also, visit our website www.evangelinelibrary.org for updates. You can always call the main library @ 337-363-1369 or send an email to [email protected] for more information and never forget that libraries do change lives…. even in the cloud! Suzy Lemoine.

This cold weather is the perfect invitation to snuggle up with a good book! I’d like to share the titles of a few good books that are now available for checkout! Large Print Fiction – “Weapons Grade” by Tom Clancy, “Condor’s fury” by Clive Cussler. Fiction: “Dead Mountain” by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child, “The Armor of Light” by Ken Follett, “Hemlock Island” by Kelley Armstrong, “The Invisible Hour” by Alice Hoffman and “Where Time Stood Still” by Beth Adams. Non-Fiction: “The Six: The Untold Story of America’s First Women Astronauts” by Loren Grush, “Cave of Bones: A True Story of Discovery, Adventure, and Human Origins” by Lee Berger (National Geographic Explorer), and “Build the Life You Want” by Arthur C. Brooks & Oprah Winfrey.

The following list of non-fiction books are being publicized to ensure that every citizen has every opportunity to learn as much as they can about this very tumultuous time in our human history. “The Middle East: Opposing Viewpoints” by Bruno Leone, “The Middle East Conflicts from 1945 to 1983” by John Pimlott, “Israe” by Carl Alpert, “Vengeance: The True Story of an Israeli Counter-Terrorist Team” by George Jonas, “Palestine: Peach not Apartheid” by Jimmy Carter, “Josephus: An illustrated Edition of Jewish Antiquities and the Jewish War” by Paul L. Maier, and “Art from the Ashes: A Holocaust Anthology” by Lawrence l. Langer.

The Basile Weekly recently published a fabulous article written by Darrel LeJeune about the Basile branch library. Check out his title “Basile Library has so much more than just books: Its hotbed of activities now includes Chair Yoga”! We are so proud of all of the unique things that our branch managers and their staff offer their patrons. Check out our webpage to read the full article or drop by your favorite library to read the article in the paper!

We are looking for a new artist to feature as our “November Artist of the Month” at the main library in Ville Platte. If you or someone you know would like to get their art out in front of the public, please contact Suzy Lemoine for details! All ages are invited, too!

Early notice: Closures: The main library and all branches will be closed on Friday, November 10^th and 11^th in honor of Veterans Day. Also, the main library will be closed on Saturday, November 18^th because it is an election polling center. The Fall Library Fest is slated for Saturday, December 9^th. The deadline for submitting vendor participation forms for all types of participants is November. Contact Keishia Ford for more information is November 30, 2023. This is a FREE and family fun event!

Visit the Facebook page of your favorite library branch to see information about programs unique to them. Also, visit our website www.evangelinelibrary.org for updates. You can always call the main library @ 337-363-1369 or send an email to [email protected] for more information and never forget that libraries do change lives…. even in the cloud! Suzy Lemoine.