Director Briefing - November 25, 2024

2024 System Satisfaction Survey

Thank you for your participation in our System Satisfaction Survey. We're hoping for a few more responses, so if you have yet to respond to this survey, please do so here: https://forms.gle/LNN2D8VUU6UMmVa9A

Clarification on Payments Between Libraries

There has been some confusion regarding the process for payments between libraries. For context, the System-wide memo from January 2023 included below outlines the two significant issues that were corrected by the Payment Between Libraries report.

System Memo - January 2023 - Invoicing for Lost Materials and Money Traveling Through Delivery.pdf

The main points in the memo are:

1. All payments between libraries require proper documentation, in the form of an invoice.
2. No money (neither cash nor check) may be sent through delivery. See the Delivery Policy for more guidelines.

To address these, the workflow at member libraries should be:

1. Libraries receipt in money for lost/damaged materials regardless of owning library. Follow all local cash-handling procedures at your library (i.e. processing the payment through your library's cash register, issuing a receipt, bank deposit, etc.)
2. The owning library issues an invoice to the library that collected payment for the lost/damaged item. The Payment Between Libraries report lets you know when this needs to happen.
3. The library that collected payment will then cut a check and mail it to the owning library.

This workflow is facilitated by the Payment Between Libraries report which runs monthly. It has two tabs:

• "Payments at my library" will show you all payments made at your library on other libraries' lost or damaged items.
• "Payments on my items" will show you all payments made at other libraries on your library's lost or damaged items.

Review the "Payments on my items" tab, then create invoices that are sent to the library that collected payment, when appropriate. How often your library chooses to create invoices is up to you. Some libraries may create invoices each month as the report is generated, while others may find it more appropriate to generate invoices less frequently (i.e. quarterly or twice a year).

Please note that not every row listed on the report must be invoiced to or paid to another library; there are some caveats to this report that are described in depth on this page: https://docs.owwl.org/Evergreen/ReportsPaymentsBetweenLibraries. The biggest caveat to look out for is if the item status is "Available" instead of "Lost and Paid" - if the item is "Available", then it can be presumed that the item was returned late. In this situation, your library would not send an invoice.

Let me or Dan (reports@owwl.org) know if you have any questions on this.

School District Request for Funding Letter

In case any libraries are having trouble collecting their funding from the school district, here is a sample disbursement demand letter your treasurer can fill out and send to the school district:

School District Request for Funding.docx

Reminder: Two Hours of Trustee Education by December 31

Beginning January 1, 2023, each member, elected or appointed, of a board of trustees of a public, free association or Indian library shall be required to complete a minimum of two hours of trustee education annually, from a provider approved by the commissioner on the financial oversight, accountability, fiduciary responsibilities and the general powers and duties of a library trustee. Such trustee education may be delivered online or in person, and may include lectures, workshops, regional or national library association programs, or any other format approved by the commissioner. Education Law § 260-d

All trustees on your board will need to complete their required two hours of trustee education by December 31, 2024. Your library should have a policy, a self-assurance form, and a spreadsheet to track Trustee Education activities.

There is one more training opportunity in 2024 for your trustees. 2024 FAQs with Ron Part II will be on Wednesday, December 4 from 5 PM to 6 PM. Register here.

Reminder: Annual Financial Report and 990 Requirement

All public libraries are required to submit an Annual Financial Report (AFR, previously known as the Annual Update Document or AUD) to the Office of the State Comptroller (OSC), and all association libraries registered as a 501©(3) with the IRS must submit Form 990 to the Internal Revenue Service.

Reminder: Tax Cap Compliance for Public Votes

Each library with a public vote must file with the Office of the State Comptroller regarding their Tax Cap. It is recommended that libraries that go out for a public vote pass a board resolution indicating that they will or may exceed the tax cap. This is recommended whether you intend to exceed the tax cap or not due to the potential for reporting errors.

Currently, only four libraries in our System do not have a public vote (Allens Hill, Lima, Livonia, and Marion), meaning everyone else must complete this process.

Resources

• OWWL Docs Tax Cap Page
• Property Tax Cap section of "Budgets and Finance" chapter , Trustee Handbook, 2023 Edition

Annual Reporting/Filing

• Office of the State Comptroller requires libraries that receive funding through a referendum (public vote) to complete tax cap reporting forms each year, even if you do not plan to ask for an increase or exceed the tax cap.
• You must file and submit your online form with the Office of the State Comptroller before March 1st each year.
• The Form Needs to be Completed and Submitted Online
  1. Property Tax Cap Form
     
     • To declare your intentions for the coming fiscal year and the tax levy being voted on this May. (The May timeline is a general guide as many libraries put up their tax levies and local school district votes).
     • Deadline to file: End of February

2025 OWWL Library Tour Update

We are 38 days away from the launch of the 2025 OWWL Library Tour. Our final preparation pieces include:

• Library Tour Training with Piety on Friday, December 13 from 10 AM to 11 AM on Zoom. Register here. The slides will be posted to OWWL Docs after the training.
• OWWL Docs will be updated with staff information and FAQs on Monday, December 2.
• All supplies (maps, stickers, and a poster) will be sent through delivery mid-December.
• 2025 OWWL Library Tour launches Thursday, January 2, 2025!

If you have any questions on the Library Tour, contact Piety.

EAP Resource: Talkspace Go

For our EAP libraries, Talkspace Go is a new, free EAP benefit for you and eligible family members aged 13+. The mobile app can be used to improve mental health and wellbeing. Get help for relationships, parenting, depression, and much more.

Talkspace Flyer.pdf

Talkspace Classes.pdf

2025 Planning Cohort

The System will be facilitating another Planning Cohort starting February 2025. The cohort will meet once per month from February to December to develop your library's Strategic (or Long-Range) Plan .

Let me know if your library's Strategic Planning Committee would like join the 2025 Planning Cohort.

2024 Public Library Staff Survey from DLD

The 2024 Public Library Staff Survey fielded by the Public Library Association is now open. Questions on this year’s annual survey explore staff roles and representation, hiring and retention practices, and goals and activities aimed at creating a welcoming environment for staff and community members in libraries nationwide. Similar questions were asked on the 2021 Staff Survey – the baseline year for this topic – so that we can see now in 2024 how the field has evolved. The survey updates information for beginning librarian and library director salaries – data points PLA has been collecting nationally since 2002 – and also includes a special section on accessibility of library facilities and services.

All public libraries are invited to participate in PLA’s annual surveys. Log into your library’s free Benchmark account to complete the survey. One person should submit the survey on behalf of their library – often that’s the library director, administrator, or data coordinator. Libraries that complete this year’s survey will be entered into a drawing to win group registration for a live or on-demand fee-based PLA webinar in 2025 (up to a $237 value).

The survey closes Saturday, December 14, 2024. Take a few minutes to contribute to the national conversation about library staff roles, representation, and retention, as well as the current state of accessibility in library facilities. All inquiries and assistance required to access your library’s Benchmark account should be directed to the project team at plabenchmark@ala.org.

Survey results will be released next summer via summary report, conference presentations, and online webinar. Each past years’ survey report spotlights Results for Action, providing resources and illustrating how and why the data collected from these national surveys can be applied to and benefit your library. Visit the PLA Surveys and Data page to learn more.