BOARD OF SOMERSET COUNTY LIBRARY TRUSTEES REGULAR MEETING MINUTES
Wednesday, August 12, 2026 at 4:00pm
Crisfield Library
Present: Ann Smith, President; Beth Holmes-Mayson, Vice President; Lynn Lang, Treasurer; Board Members: Kristen Corbin, Janet Smith, Jennifer Timmons; Associate Member: Erin Owens; Ed Goyda, Library Director; Jaime Bradshaw, Assistant Director; Ashley Gilson, Crisfield Library Services Manager; Danielle Craige, Princess Anne Library Services Manager.
Absent: Karen Riggin, Board Member
CALL MEETING TO ORDER
President Smith called the meeting to order at 4:02pm.
CONSENT AGENDA
- Approve minutes from the regular meeting of June 10, 2026
- Approve financial report for the period from July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2026
President Smith asked for a motion to approve the consent agenda. Motion was made by Lynn Lang, seconded by Janet Smith and unanimously approved.
BRANCH HIGHLIGHTS
Crisfield: Presented by Ashley Gilson, Library Services Manager
Branch Highlights: On June 1st we started our Summer Reading registration. Having it start earlier this year was very beneficial. The kick-off party was in the library meeting room on June 6th; we had a great turnout and were excited to see all age groups participate. Staff did a fantastic job decorating and preparing for Summer Reading this year. We had various decorations and in-house displays for “extinct” books, Father’s Day, Juneteenth, Summer Vibes, Dinosaurs, and Christmas in July were placed in the adult, teen, and children’s sections. We also had a special display to celebrate America’s 250th birthday and featured displays each week for the different performers. Our meeting room and study rooms had been booked up this summer.
Staff Development: Over the past two months, staff participated in a range of training courses covering topics such as task management, leadership training, Marina Share It, news literacy, creating a welcoming environment for teens, and fall book previews.
Community Partnerships: Gabe and Andrea had a successful visit to Tawes’s nursing home. Social Services still visited weekly to assist the public with any government aid they may require. GED classes had constant attendance this summer. The Somerset County Health Department had been providing produce, and patrons had been restocking the pantry regularly.
Future Happenings: In August, we were excited to participate at National Night Out, the school open houses and at the Shorebirds game.
Princess Anne: Presented by Danielle Craige, Library Services Manager
Branch Highlights: In June and July, we had a variety of book displays featuring our weekly Summer Reading performances as well historical themed displays to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States. Summer Reading kicked off on June 1st, and we had been busy since. We had a variety of new faces attending programs and signing up for library cards this summer. We had several different performers come through this summer and the community filled the library during those events. On July 15th, Laurie attended the Migrant Family Night at Somerset Intermediate School where she interacted with families from our community. Our meeting room continued to see regular use with members and organizations from our community booking regularly.
Community Partnerships: We had been receiving fresh produce from the Somerset County Health Department all summer long. Our meeting room continued to host a gallery from the Somerset County Arts Council.
Future Happenings: Our Summer Reading Finale was on August 1st; we had a demonstration from Guerrero Productions Boxing Club as well as snacks and face painting! Dani and Kristin attended National Night Out on August 4th.
ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT
Presented by: Ed Goyda and Jaime Bradshaw
Collections
ESRL Digital Resources: The transition from Hoopla to Blackstone Unlimited and Kanopy ran smoothly on June 1.
Inventory: Inventory had been completed.
Marina ShareIT: Setup for the new statewide interlibrary loan system was continuing, with Enoch Pratt Free Library virtual trainings underway and our staff being trained at Staff Day on August 18. The new system would be in place on August 31, although we would still be completing prior transactions in the current system through October.
Programs
Delmarva Shorebirds: As a perk of our partnership, we received a free visit with Sherman from the Delmarva Shorebirds. He visited the Crisfield branch again this year for our June ALL (Adults of All Abilities) Visit. We had roughly 30 in attendance. He performed during a baseball story & signed autographs for the clients. We also had themed crafts, snacks & temporary tattoos. We also received free tickets to share with patrons for their Summer Reading Game on August 16th.
Physical Activity Grant: Last year, we received part of a grant from the Somerset County Health Department and hosted a variety of physical activity classes and curated Fit Kits. We had been approached again this year and were hoping to receive additional funds later this fall.
Sailing Oystermen: The Ewell Library hosted a showing of the 1965 documentary Sailing Oystermen on June 30 as part of Maryland 250 celebrations.
Community Outreach
Family Wellness Festival: We were invited to host a table at the Family Wellness Festival hosted by Life Management of Maryland in June. Dani C. and Kristen attended and shared library information and resources to roughly 70 community members.
Habitat for Humanity: We had a request from Habitat for Humanity to provide lightly used book donations in the homes they build in Somerset County.
Health Department Mobile Unit: In June, the Somerset County Health Department started parking their mobile health unit at the Crisfield Library twice per month to provide various options of testing that are available and open to the public.
Share Contests: Over the past few years, we had created “share contests” for our Summer Reading performance flyers on the library's Facebook page. Each week, a post was shared with the performer's info for the following week. This year, we received tickets for the Baltimore Orioles, Maryland State Fair, Maryland Science Center & the National Aquarium from the Maryland State Library Agency to disperse. Last year, we received 30-70 shares each week, whereas this year, we had 66-269 shares per week, skyrocketing from last year’s numbers.
State Library Visit: State Librarian Morgan Lehr visited July 29 & 30, including a trip to Smith Island. We were featured on their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1DCNauTRfB/.
Children’s Services
Summer Reading Kickoff: We had a great time with food (hotdogs and chips), tattoos, photobooth, tie-dying, and registration where they received a bag of goodies and a free book. The attendance was less this year at kickoff with an average number of 35 adults and 41 kids. This may have been due to opening registration on Monday, June 1st.
Summer Reading Performers: All the performers for this year’s SR were wonderful. This year we had Extreme Balloons, Wildlife Adventures, Amazing Josini, Dinosaurs Rock, Reptile Wonders, and Rock Creek Steel Drums. Dinosaurs Rock was a new performer for us, as we booked them for this year’s theme. The kids really enjoyed learning about dinosaurs, touching fossils and replicas, then doing a little fossil dig at the end of the show.
Summer Reading Finale: The Summer Reading Finale was on August 1st at both branches. ESRL sponsored The Rope Warrior, who performed in Crisfield at 2 pm for their Finale Party. Princess Anne had Guerrero Productions perform some boxing moves at 11 am. We announced the Grand Prize Winners and celebrated with dino themed snacks, face painting, and a photobooth.
Outreach: Andrea, Dani C., and Laurie attended community events in June and July including the Greenwood Awards Ceremony, Migrant Family Literacy Night, and WAHS Community Day. During these events, they promoted programs such as Summer Reading and distributed free books and library swag to a total of 137 kids and 86 adults.
Current Programs: We were continuing to offer MGOL, STEAM, Lego Club, Family Paint Night and Toddler Art Class. We had great numbers for STEAM this summer. In the fall, we would be moving Princess Anne's STEAM to 4:30pm.
Upcoming Programs: At the end of August, we had Open Houses at all the schools in the county, and the Crab Derby Parade!
Financial
Amazon Mastercard: The new purchasing cards had arrived and would be activated on August 14.
LSTA Grant (FY 26): The final report for the FY 26 professional development grant had been completed.
LSTA Grant (FY 27): The State Library had issued the funds for the FY 27 professional development grant in advance. They would be requiring quarterly reports this year.
Maryland 250 Grant Funds: Ewell Library had received a $1,000 Maryland 250 grant to support a citizens academy.
Staffing
MLA Conference Committee: Gabe and Jaime had joined the Maryland Library Association conference committee this year, having attended the first planning meeting in July. They would be attending monthly meetings through May.
Governance
Advisory - Freedom to Read: The State Library had reviewed and approved our Collection Development policy.
Budget: The County met our request, mirroring their increases of 5% in salaries and wages, factoring for a 6% increase in the cost of health insurance, and adding (again) the employer portion of the FAMLI tax, taking effect in January 2027.
President Smith asked for a motion to accept the budget. Motion was made by Lynn Lang, seconded by Beth Holmes-Mayson, and unanimously approved.
Crisfield Halloween Parade: The Crisfield Halloween parade has been scheduled for October 31 itself instead of the typical fourth Friday (October 24). As such, we were requesting to move the Crisfield early closure on the holiday schedule to October 31.
President Smith asked for a motion to modify the holiday schedule. Motion was made by Janet Smith, seconded by Jennifer Timmons, and unanimously approved.
Employee Handbook - Hours of Work: Regular six-hour shifts being assigned to accommodate employees’ schedules triggered some discussion of break periods. After discussion, we’re essentially leaving the policy as is - two 15-minute breaks - with the addition of a clarification that the two 15-minute breaks may be combined into one 30-minute break, a reflection of a state law that mandates that minors must be given one 30-minute break on shifts longer than 5 hours (which makes the policy less flexible), and various wordsmithing.
President Smith asked for a motion to accept the handbook change. Motion was made by Beth Holmes-Mayson, seconded by Lynn Lang, and unanimously approved.
Employee Handbook - Payroll: And to formalize and document the process for employees receiving paper paychecks, we were asking for the addition of:
“Employees electing to receive paper checks will have their checks issued at the Princess Anne Library and may elect to have them delivered to another branch via interlibrary delivery or to their home via the United States Postal Service. If an employee loses a paper check, they will be responsible for any stop payment fees incurred by the Library. Replacement checks will be issued via the Library's biweekly electronic bill payment process.”
President Smith asked for a motion to accept the second handbook change. Motion was made by Beth Holmes-Mayson, seconded by Lynn Lang, and unanimously approved.
Adjournment
President Smith made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Motion was seconded by Beth Holmes-Mayson, and unanimously approved. The meeting adjourned at 4:46 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Ed Goyda
Somerset County Library
Director