Fargo Public Library Board – May 19, 2026 Minutes
Regular Meeting: Tuesday, May 19, 2026 Minutes
Board Members Present: Amy Ouren, John Rodenbiker, Kristen Schipper, Paul Jensen
Board Members Absent: Hannah James, Jenna Reno, and Wanda Mengelkoch
Staff: Tim Dirks, Cindy Haff, Megan Lass
President Amy Ouren called the meeting to order at 4 p.m. A quorum was met.
Order of the Agenda
Kristen Schipper moved to approve the order of the agenda; John Rodenbiker seconded the motion. The motion carried.
Minutes of the April 21 Regular Meeting
Paul Jensen moved to approve the minutes of the April 21 Regular Meeting; John Rodenbiker seconded the motion. The motion carried.
Staff Report
Megan Lass presented highlights of staff updates and events including:
• Staffing updates
– 1 new employee beginning May 26 in Children’s
– 1 employee transfer from Circulation to Tech on June 8
– Open Positions:
– Outreach (PT)
– 2 LAI’s (PT)
– LAIII (FT)
• Mario Kart Club returns on June 8 for the summer
– Mondays at 5:30 p.m. at Main Library
• Summer Reading Challenge – Unearth a Story
– Pre-registration begins June 1 ( on Beanstack)
– Kickoff is June 8
All ages have exciting events planned for the summer
Director’s Report
Director Tim Dirks highlighted participating in the April 21 screening of the movie “The Librarians” and the following panel discussion at the new Moorhead Library.
Unfinished Business
There was no unfinished business.
New Business
• Carlson Renovations Updated
Director Tim Dirks noted continued work on relocation of the Adult Service Desk as part of the Carlson Renovation project. The team should be meeting with JLG next week for continued discussions.
• Library Board Bylaws
Director Dirks noted that it has been almost 3 years since the Bylaws have been reviewed. No changes were recommended.
John Rodenbiker recommended that the work “customers” be changed to “patrons” as per other recent changes to library policies and procedures.
– John Rodenbiker made a motion to approve the document with this change
– Kristen Schipper seconded the motion
– The motion was unanimously approved with this change
• Collection Development Policy
Jenilee Kanenwisher submitted to Director Dirks several updates in language to reflect best practices and current operational changes.
Kristen Schipper and John Rodenbiker both expressed that Jenilee did a great job on the changes to keep the Policy relevant and up to date.
– John Rodenbiker made a motion to approve the document.
– Paul Jensen seconded the motion.
– The motion was approved unanimously.
Statistical Reports
April Usage
Director Dirks noted numbers down across the board. This was reflective of some inclement weather during the month. He also noted that the changes implemented in January concerning Libby access have resulted in lower usage, but also a decrease in the length of holds for library patrons in Libby. Total circulation for the year shows an increase of 15.49%.
April Financials
Director Dirks noted that $329,000 has been received so far for Carlson Renovations. These funds were partly from the Friends pledge of $25,000 as well as endowment funds received. Director Dirks thanked the Friends for their continued contributions to Library Programming.
With 33% of the year completed, the library budget is at just under 30% and just over $12,000 in revenue has been received.
Friends of the Library Report
• Marisa Nygord reported record Book Sale results from the April Book Crawl.
$8,750 was received
Plans to do a crawl again with area neighboring libraries is planned.
173 punch cards (a new offering this year specifically for the crawl) were turned in.
• Carlson Campaign Fundraising
The Friends were happy to announce their gift of $25,000 to start the campaign.
The Goal is $100,000.
Public Comment
There was no public comment.
Next Regular Meeting
The next regular Board Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 16, at 4 p.m. in the Commission Chambers.
The meeting adjourned at 4:16 p.m.