MEETING PREVIEW: Guelph Public Library Board for February 26, 2024

As usual, we get to the end of the month and the regularly scheduled meeting of the Guelph Public Library Board of Directors. This month is a kind of special occasion, a sad occasion, because this is the last meeting for CEO Steve Kraft after a 41-year illustrious career in the library business in Guelph. Still, much of the meeting will be looking to the future, both the short and the long-term. Continue reading “MEETING PREVIEW: Guelph Public Library Board for February 26, 2024”

MEETING PREVIEW: Guelph Public Library Board for January 29, 2024

It’s been almost two months since we’ve gotten together for a Guelph Public Library Board of Directors meeting. As we end the first month of the new year, the board will spend their first meeting of 2024 catching up on what’s been happening with the new library and the fundraising for it, and they will also look ahead to what business the library will get up to this year, and what roles the board members are going to fill. Continue reading “MEETING PREVIEW: Guelph Public Library Board for January 29, 2024”

RECAP: Library Board Lays Out Its Fundraising Plans

In this final Guelph Public Library Board of Directors meeting of the year [shocked emoji face], we learned a lot about the planned fundraising efforts for the new main library and that project so far is looking pretty good! A special guest outlined the plans plus how and when all us regular folk might be able to join in the efforts. Also, the board looked ahead to all the other work that has to be done come the new year as we count down to the library’s opening. Here’s the recap… Continue reading “RECAP: Library Board Lays Out Its Fundraising Plans”

MEETING PREVIEW: Guelph Public Library Board for November 27, 2023

The last Guelph Public Library Board of Directors meeting of the year will look to the future, short and long-term. As 2023 comes to an end, the year that ground was finally broken on the new main library, the board will look at how they’re going to help fundraise for it. That’s the long-term, but the short-term talk will focus on setting the table for 2024 and what the staff and board hope to focus on in the new year. Continue reading “MEETING PREVIEW: Guelph Public Library Board for November 27, 2023”

RECAP: Library Board Spends Most of It’s Meeting In-Camera

The Devil’s night was in the details at the monthly meeting of the Guelph Public Library Board of Directors on Monday evening, and many of the details were behind the closed doors of the in-camera portion of that meeting. What was discussed in their closed session involved a report about the library as a safe space and the future self-evaluation of the board. For everything else, there’s the recap… Continue reading “RECAP: Library Board Spends Most of It’s Meeting In-Camera”

MEETING PREVIEW: Guelph Public Library Board for October 30, 2023

It’s Devils Night, and this year the Devil’s business seems to involve the monthly board of directors meeting of the Guelph Public Library. Nothing particularly evil, or diabolical, is on the agenda though, just the usual business of running the local library system including budgets, the state of services and usage, plus the ongoing developments of the new library project. Plus, what issues are top of mind for library advocacy? Continue reading “MEETING PREVIEW: Guelph Public Library Board for October 30, 2023”

RECAP: Library Board Approves Big Boost to the Budget for 2024

The Guelph Public Library Board took the summer off and slid right into the serious business of budgeting Monday night. As you will see below, the library became the first board and shared service to pass their 2024 budget, and that means city council will be handed a request for a 8.77 per cent increase for next year. What does that mean and why the big bump? You will find out be scanning the recap… Continue reading “RECAP: Library Board Approves Big Boost to the Budget for 2024”

MEETING PREVIEW: Guelph Public Library Board for September 25, 2023

As usual, the month wraps up with a meeting of the Guelph Public Library Board. Since the board last met in mid-June ground was broken on the new main library building on Baker Street so it will be interested to get that update this month after a summer off. Also, we will look ahead to the more immediate concerns of next year’s library budget, both operating and capital, and we will also get the usual reports. Here’s what is coming up for September’s meeting. Continue reading “MEETING PREVIEW: Guelph Public Library Board for September 25, 2023”

GUELPH POLITICAST #243 – The Library Victory Lap

The Guelph Public Library Board of Directors met Tuesday night, and among their agenda items was the next steps for the new main library plan. For many people in Guelph, these are great signs of progress for a project that’s been gestating since the mid-90s, but there might be even more pressure for the board to now turn those plans into reality. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #243 – The Library Victory Lap”