9 October 2025 Board Meeting of the Lillie M. Evans District Library

The Lillie M. Evans Library District has there Monthly Board meeting on the second Thursday of the month.

The meeting is set up similar to all library board of trustee meetings. The President  Gayle Johnson Brackett called the meeting to order. This is not intended to be minutes of the meeting will touch on the highlights.

The discussion of the Inspiration Celebration that was held September 24, 2025, emphasized the staff interaction with the Board. It was noted how positive the outlook if the staff was of  the meeting and how supportive they were of the direction of the library. Treasurer Diane Smith was very enthusiastic about the amount of interaction with the staff.

There was a new hire Michelle Beck that recently started. She is retired and a member of the community. She will work several nights and Saturday. Met her prior to the board meeting. She will be a good fit for this type of library as She has customer service experience.

The Directors Report is always a highlight to the meeting.  The Library has a large collection of large print books that have good circulation numbers. There is going to be some weeding of adult biographies to possibly find additional space for Large print.

The situation with Baker and Taylor the library’s main book provider as they are closing down their Midwest location in Momence, IL. The switch of vendors to fulfill the void will have pressure on the Director primarily as the director handles acquisitions. The plan was well laid out to the board on the changes to procurement.

The Peony Project was discussed as Princeville has been very influential in the propagation of many of the cultivars of the Peony Family. The Auten family developed many different varieties. Many were named after members of the community. The heritage peonies are being preserved at Museum with the library’s assistance in digging up the plants, dividing and planting in their new home at the Museum.

Programming was discussed with 43 attending the Flight Path program at the Library and the park under the auspices of the Forest Park Nature Center.

Local presenter Brian “Fox” Ellis did a program as John James Audubon. Mr. Ellis is a recreator of historic figures and has been in shows on the Public Broadcasting system. He is working on a presentation to commemorate the Peony Project.

The Director participated in many community events and Educational events the past month.

Institute of Museum and Library Services update was presented. There are funds budgeted in the current passed Budget package. It is hoped that the money will go to the intended agencies.

The Library is part of the TIF Districts in town. One of the projects has come to an end. The paperwork to end the specific TIF was signed and will be forwarded to the proper authorities.

The meeting ended with a look at how the library stands in relation to the Serving our Public 4.0 standards for Illinois libraries. Chapter 12 Technology and Chapter 13 Marketing were discussed. The library was in excellent position in relation to the standards.

It was a very cohesive group. Very forward thinking remarks from the Board members in the course of the meeting.

PLA Forces: Force 5 The challenge of leadership. The Board meeting was a chance to see the interaction with the Board. The way the board viewed the staff was very supportive of the Director. The end of the meeting they looked at the Chapter 12 and Chapter 13 if the Illinois library Standards. This set a bench marking in comparison to other libraries in the state. They did not use the term bench marking. They looked at what the library offered in context to the standards. Their interpretation was that the library was well situated. The challenge was successful. 

Work total 1 hour        Semester Total 41 hours