May 11 2022 Board Meeting Minutes

Prince Rupert Public Library

Library Board Meeting



May 11, 2022

Present: Nick Adey (NA), Carolina de Ryk (CdR), Chelsea Keays (CK), Katie Lyon, Stephanie Lysyk (SL), Brendan Turner (BT), Andrea Wilmot (AW), Joe Zelwietro (JZ, Chief Librarian)


Regrets: Chris Armstrong (CA), Dale White (DW),

Meeting commenced at 7:05 pm.

• Chairperson gave an acknowledgement of the Board meeting taking place on unceded Ts'mysen territory
• Motion to accept Consent Agenda by CK, seconded by NA, passed.
• Addition requested to Discussion Agenda by CdR. CdR wished to update trustees about CBC-PRL "Our Stories" project. It is was added.
• First item on Discussion Agenda: Discussion about what PR Library has already done and will do in the future to meet the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's recommendations, and our own aspirations, with respect to reconciliation goals. Trustees offered ideas such as:
• We should talk with Nathan Cullen once we have some specific idea developed.
• We should engage with indigenous individuals to see what they wish from the library.
• We acknowledge that there are financial challenges in service provision development since the Library is primarily funded by the municipality as we try to serve non-Rupert areas. This difficulty has been experienced by the municipality of Prince Rupert in dealing with costs of the North Coast Regional District.
• Trustees wish to have indigenous representation on the Library Board.
• The Library could put up trilingual signs (English, French and Sm'algyax).
• It's important that words,works be authentic.
• There could be an elder-in-residence in the Library
• The Chief Librarian and Children's Library Assistant went to Lax Kw'alaams right before the COVID pandemic and it was a successful trip.
• It's a process, it's awesome to be involved in this!
• What kind of cheap/free ways can we do something now?
• PRL can use the resources that SD52 have.
• Motion, by AW, to have Truth and Reconciliation discussion as a standing Discussion Agenda item at every regular PRL Board meeting. Seconded by CdR. Passed.
• JZ gave updates to the Board about Library in April
• The hole in the 1st Floor ceiling/2nd floor floor is the same as it was since Dec. 31. Plumbing company having difficulty obtaining necessary tools.
• JZ (and City Accounting) has completed Statement of Financial Information (SOFI) and will be submitting it to Province by weeks end.
• New Centennial Library cards are available to the public now and being promoted.
• A new employee has been hired to fill the vacant Library Assistant-Technical position
• The Library has purchased and obtained new audio equipment to improve our public events, including the upcoming June events by the CBC-PRL Our Stories project.
• The Library has purchased, but not yet obtained a new Xerox DocuCentre to replace our present older machine.
• JZ, and staff working on new 'Baby Time' (working title) in-house program.
• CdR gave Board an update on the CBC-PRL Our Stories project. Rudy Kelly will be regularly working our of the Library as the Journalist-in-Residence at the PRL. During the month of June there will be four Thursday/Fridays of Rudy being available to talk with patrons as they use the Library. There will also be 3 Saturdays with live interviews, with audience members.
  June 04 Marlena Joseph Nisga'a dancer
  June 18 Saltwater Hank, Ts'mysen musician and
  June 25 Treena Decker, Haida actor.
• BT updated the trustees about a connection between SD52 mental health nurses and patrons in the Library. His initial contact with one of the nurses at SD52 went well, and he will be talking further with the proper person to organize this possibility.

Motion to adjourn by AW, seconded by CK at 8:07 pm

Next PRL Board meeting on June 8, 2022 at 7pm. It will be a hybrid in-person/zoom meeting.