Library Board Meeting — Minutes

New Berlin Public Library Board Meeting May 18, 2026, at 6:00 P.M. New Berlin Public Library Marion Onesti Board Room 1. PUBLIC COMMENT SESSION There were no public comments made at this meeting. 2. CALL MEETING TO ORDER President Marek called the meeting to order at 6:00 P.M. 3. ROLL CALL; DECLARATION OF QUORUM; PUBLIC NOTICE Present: Trustee Ruth Bock, Trustee Chuck Garrigues, Trustee Dolores Greenawalt, Treasurer Nathan Jung, Vice-President Jill Kawala, Common Council Representative Meg Gardner, President John Marek, Secretary Patti Orzel, and Trustee Barb Uhen Staff Present: Library Director Natalie Beacom Guests Present: Kathy Wiemelt, President, Friends of the Library (FOL) President Marek confirmed that a quorum was present and that the meeting was properly posted in compliance with the Open Meetings Law. 4. COMMITTEE REPORTS A. Friends of New Berlin Library, Inc. (FOL) President Wiemelt reported the Book Sale that was held on Friday, April 17 – Sunday, April 19th raised $11,000. A mini-book sale will be held on Saturday, June 20th. The FOL is working to develop their own domain and is looking for a website designer. 5. CONSENT AGENDA ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Items under the Consent Agenda were passed unanimously by the Library Board. Items not passed by a unanimous vote will be removed from the Consent Agenda and will be considered separately. A. Approval of minutes: Monday, April 20, 2026 B. Next meeting date: Monday, June 15, 2026, 6:00 P .M. C. Approval of Bills and Invoices, April 2026 6. END OF CONSENT AGENDA MOTION: Motion to approve the consent agenda. VOTE: Motion by Kawala Second by Jung Motion approved 9-0. 7. ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS A. President's Report President Marek thanked Trustees Uhen and Bock for their years of service. Meg Gardner, the newly elected Common Council member from District Two and Aldermanic Representative to the Library Board was introduced. B Director’s Report for May 2026 Director Beacom provided the Board with an update on the HVAC replacement project. Fortunately, the temperatures remained in the 50’s until Monday. May 18th. Staff have been taking regularly scheduled breaks to avoid heat exhaustion. Library patrons have been very cooperative while the book drop is unavailable. Staff have taken this as an opportunity to reconnect with patrons. Staff have also been making school visits to promote the Summer Reading Program, Dinotastic Summer: Unearthing Stories. T-shirts will be available on the Library’s website and through the Friends’ storefront. The Director’s full report can be reviewed in the agenda packet which is available on the City of New Berlin’s website. 8. UNFINISHED BUSINESS A. Waukesha County Library Services Plan Most of the Bridges Library Boards have approved the plan submitted by the Act 150 Committee. It is on the agenda for consideration at the next meeting of the Waukesha County Board on Tuesday, May 26th. 9. NEW BUSINESS A. Waukesha County Library Standards Certification Data confirms that the New Berlin Public Library meets the standards set by the Bridges Consortium. A report will be filed by the end of August confirming these results. B. Material Selection Policy Revisions The format of the policy was changed to enhance readability and information concerning A.I., Self-Publishing, and New Formats and Technology were added. MOTION: Motion to approve the revised policy. VOTE: Motion by Greenawalt Second by Bock Motion approved 9-0. C. Trustee Essentials: Library Board Trustee Infographic and Roles and Responsibilities The roles and responsibilities of the Board, Director, City, and Friends of the Library were reviewed. 10. ANNOUNCEMENTS A. There will be a celebration honoring the retirees on Thursday, June 11th at 1 – 2 PM. B. Board members were reminded to submit their completed surveys regarding the nomination of officers by Friday, May 22nd. 11. ADJOURN MOTION: Motion to adjourn at 6:25 P.M. VOTE: Motion by Greenawalt Second by Garrigues Motion approved 9 – 0. Respectfully submitted, Patti Orzel, Secretary