Board of Trustees

The Upper Sandusky Community Library Board of Trustees holds its regular meetings on the second Thursday of every month at 12:00 p.m. in the library's board meeting room in the basement. The meetings are open to the public.

The approved minutes for the most recent Board of Trustees meeting are available below. 

Upper Sandusky Community Library Board of Trustees: Dec. 11, 2025

The Upper Sandusky Community Library Board of Trustees convened on Thursday, December 11, 2025, at 12:45 p.m. in the Library Board Room with the following members present: Ms. Jenny Romich, Ms. Dianne Grafmiller, Mr. Ben Buckland, Mr. Todd Leightey, Mr. Brian Kimmel, and Ms. Ann Kemerley. Ms. Amy Aldridge-Ritchey attended virtually through Zoom. Director Kathleen Whitt and Deputy Fiscal Officer Patti Davidson were also present. 

President Jenny Romich asked for public comments. Hearing none, Ms. Romich asked if there were corrections or additions to the distributed minutes of the November meeting. Hearing none, Ms. Romich declared that the minutes stand as distributed. 

Next on the agenda was a motion to ratify the payment of the bills. Ms. Romich asked if there were any questions about the bills. Hearing none, the motion was made and seconded to ratify the payment of bills; in a roll call vote, all attending approved the bills. 

Under old business, the Board considered a request from the County Budget Commission that the Board agree to maintain the current percentages for the county PLF distribution for the next three years, since the request for a five-year agreement was not accepted at the November meeting. After further discussion, the Board said they felt that three years is still too long. It was moved and seconded to agree to maintain the current distribution percentages for two years, or to keep to the current one-year cycle. In a roll call vote, all attending approved the motion. 

Under new business, Ms. Aldridge-Ritchey said her class schedule will change in January, allowing her to attend meetings at 12:00 noon. Meeting times will thus return to 12:00 noon on the second Thursday of each month. The January 8, 2026, organizational meeting will be all in-person. 

Ms. Whitt then reported on issues concerning the library’s telephone service. Many patrons have been unable to call in over the last month, receiving a busy signal, while on the library’s side, the phone would ring once, then when answered, there would be no one on the other end. After several service calls to our provider, we were told that the problem has to do with the number of landlines being reduced, thus making less bandwidth available for the amount of traffic. We have received a quote from First Communications, our telephone service provider, to move to a Voice over Internet service. The quote is for a five-year term, and the cost is substantially less than for our current landline service. The Board had some questions about the quote, requesting the possibility of a shorter term, and asking whether the price quoted was fixed for the term of the contract. They also directed Ms. Whitt and Ms. Davidson to seek quotes from additional service providers. 

The next item on the agenda was a revision of the Circulation Policy. Ms. Whitt noted that over time, a number of WiFi hotspots have been lost to patrons who fail to return them, even when they have been shut off. This almost always happens with new borrowers – not that it is a problem with all new borrowers, but when it happens, it is with a borrower who got a library card just to get a hotspot. The loss of hotspots causes a longer waiting period for other patrons, until new units can be obtained. It was moved and seconded that the policy be revised to require a 3-month waiting period for new borrowers to be able to reserve or check out a hotspot. In a roll call vote, all attending approved the motion. 

The next item of business was consideration of state criminal background checks for volunteers to act as docents for the upcoming Americans and the Holocaust Exhibit. Docents will be acting as guides for groups of patrons, who may include minors. Ms. Whitt said she thinks the background checks cost about $40, and we are planning on about 20 docents. It was moved and seconded to require a criminal background check for the docents, and to reimburse the docents for the cost of the check if it comes back clear. In a roll call vote, all attending approved the motion. 

The next item on the agenda was consideration of a paid leave procedure that states “For exempt employees, leave is recorded only in half- or full-day increments. Half-day increments are defined as four-hour blocks of time; a full-day increment is eight hours.” Ms. Whitt said she finds this requirement awkward, as she often needs only an hour or two for an appointment, and wants to be able to record the actual time taken. There is no legal requirement for the increments of leave recorded; it is just a matter of procedure for the organization in question. It was moved and seconded to revise the procedure to state, “For exempt employees, leave is recorded in one-hour increments.” In a roll call vote, all attending approved the motion. 

The last item of business was a brief meeting of the Records Commission. The Records Commission consists of the entire Board and the Fiscal Officer (Ms. Whitt). Ms. Whitt stated that she has identified records that are eligible for disposal under the Records Retention Schedule approved by the Board. The request to destroy the eligible records has been submitted to the State Archives of Ohio for approval. A motion was made and seconded to approve destruction of records having met their retention dates, once approval from the state is received. Destruction is to be carried out by Angeline Industries, as in previous years. All attending approved the motion. 

In the Director’s Report, Ms. Whitt reported that: 

1. The air conditioning replacement project is essentially complete. As I understand it, the only thing remaining is for Trane, the manufacturer of the chiller to start up the unit in early spring and replacement of an outside panel which was found to be dented when received – the replacement has been ordered.
2. The library is looking for volunteers from the community to serve as volunteer hosts and docents for the Americans and the Holocaust exhibit. Information and applications are available at the library.
3. We are collecting mittens on our mitten tree in the front vestibule. Donations will be taken to the Health Department for distribution to those in need.
4. After-school programming continues through December 18 this month, with Middle School Story Time enjoying Readers’ Theater on Mondays and That Thursday Thing presenting crafts, snacks, and more on Thursdays. On December 4, the kids made Christmas cards to be distributed to our Homebound patrons. There will be no Tiny Tots or Preschool story times or after-school programs from December 22 through January 2.
5. Our downtown story walk this month features This is Christmas by Tom Booth, while Ged Adamson’s A Fox Found a Box will continue at Stepping Stones Park.
6. Lunch Bunch on December 15 will include a holiday potluck and optional cooking-themed small gift exchange.
7. The Friends of the Library held their annual Secret Santa Shop on December 6, with approximately 70 children purchasing gifts for friends and family.
8. The library staff made an appearance at the Home for the Holidays Parade on December 6. Our entry featured a Storybook Express train engine and lighted and decorated library book carts. It was chilly, but we had a great time and saw a lot of library regulars as we passed by, tossing out candy to the crowd.
9. Craft Party attendees will make a Good Neighbor gift basket on December 11. The basket of goodies will feature Christmas crackers, popcorn flavorings, and more in a holiday themed basket. Participants will also enjoy games, giveaways and appetizers.
10. The library will close at 1:00 p.m. on December 24, reopening on Friday, December 26. We will close at 1:00 on December 31, and reopen on Friday, January 2.
11. Memorial/Honor/Donations:
    1. In memory of: Fred Snyder
       1. Donor(s): Stansbery, Schoenberger, Scheck
       2. Carl & Mary Beth Pfarner 

There were no Items Not on the Agenda. Ms. Romich asked whether there were any additional items for discussion. Hearing none, the motion was made and seconded to adjourn; the meeting was adjourned at 1:30 p.m.

If you would like to view older Board of Trustees minutes, please email uscl@seolibraries.org.