Lake Mills Public Library Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes

Tuesday, October 6, 2026

3:30 p.m.

 

 

Meeting was Called to Order at 3:34 PM

·         Attendance

o   Members Present: Julie Aamodt, Larry Rice, Shannon Bruhns, Luke Peters, Jan Belica

o   Members Absent:

o   Staff Present: Kim Brackey, Library Director

o   Public Present:

·         Agenda

o   Motion to approve the agenda by Jan Belica and 2^nd by Shannon Bruhns

o   Approved Unanimously

·         Previous Minutes

o   Motion to approve previous minutes was made by Larry Rice and 2^nd by Shannon Bruhns

o   Approved Unanimously

·         Monthly Finances

o   Motion to approve Monthly Finances made by Luke Peters and 2^nd by Jan Belica

o   Approved Unanimously

·         Library Updates

o   The circulation report was discussed. Kim pointed out the increase in most numbers, as expected.  Interestingly, adult fiction and large print checkouts were below normal. Programming numbers are increasing due to Little Learners and ATLAS, as well as the Fall Festival.  The total count did not include ALL attendance at the Fall Festival, only those that specifically stopped by the library’s table for the pumpkin craft.

o   Director’s Report: Kim shared a document highlighting the month. The Book Sale is complete.  Kim will deliver/donate the remaining books to Francis Lauer Youth Services and the Cerro County Jail sometime this week.  Winnebago County Jail declined her offer. Lunch & Learn was well attended with the Fraud Team from Farmer’s Trust and Savings Bank presenting in September. Author Jeff Sauve will present in October.  Fall Festival went well, even with having to move the date due to rain. Kim presented at the final Farmer’s Market on 9/28/26 but had very low attendance.  The Board discussed staffing that event for future years. Kim shared that she has booked several events already for Summer Reading Program 2027 and planning is already underway! This week is Banned Books Week, October 4-10, and a display is in place at LMPL.

·         Youth Services Director Report

o   No report given

·         Old Business

o   Jan Belica made a motion to approve the changes to the Bulletin Board Policy with the creation of the Community Display Policy added. Larry Rice seconded the motion.  It was approved unanimously.

o   Shannon Bruhns made a motion to leave the Confidentiality Policy as it currently reads. Luke Peters seconded the motion.  It was approved unanimously.

o   The Board reviewed the end-of-the-year 2025-2026 Budget and Library Director Brackey offered her suggestions for changes to the 2027-2028 budget.  Line items were discussed one at a time with reasoning shared for each suggested change. Pending information gathered regarding possible work needing to be done on the entryway doors, a final budget should be ready for discussion/vote at the November meeting.

·         New Business

o   Brackey introduced the Board to Freegal Music. It is a free music service provided by public libraries for their patrons. It is based on a yearly subscription that provides unlimited usage for a flat fee that is scaled to the size of the library and we would never have to contend with a “pay-per-use” fee. Patrons would sign in with their library card and a pin # and have 24-hour access to ad-free daily streaming service with no overall usage limits as well as 3 downloads/patron/week. Freegal consists of over 2.6 million albums with music spanning 100+ countries.  Music is added every day.  There are over 20 million songs from over 200+ genres. Users can share playlists with friends via text, email, or social media. Brackey shared the website with the Board and informed them that a representative offered 30-day free trials for any of the Board members that were interested.  Two Board members said they would like to explore this option. The Board will discuss it again at the November meeting.

o   Brackey informed the Board that she will be attending an all expense paid IMLS Library Convening 250: Telling America’s Story Conference in St. Louis, Missouri the week of October 14-16^th, flying out on the 13^th.

o   Banned Books Week is this week, October 4-10, 2026.  This year’s theme is “Let Books Be.  Protect the Freedom to Read.”

 

·         There were no public comments

 

·         Trustee Training:  Freegal Music Demonstration

 

·         The next meeting will be held on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, at 3:30 p.m.

 

·         Motion to Adjourn: Shannon Bruhns.  Seconded Jan Belica.  Approved unanimously.

 

·         Meeting Adjourned at 4:33 pm