Library Board Meeting Minutes: July 16, 2026
Scappoose Public Library Board of Directors
Regular Business Meeting
July 16, 2026
Library Meeting Room also broadcast on Zoom
7 PM
Minutes
- Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance
The meeting was called to order at 7:04pm. Attending were:
Jeff Weiss, Library Director
Lisa Lewis, Board of Directors
Jolene Jonas, Board of Directors
Johanna Meyers, Board of Directors
Liza Gerardo, Board of Directors
The Pledge of Allegiance was recited by all attending. - Public Input
There was no public attendance or input.
Jeff did not print extra copies of the minutes as the board discussed not printing them at the previous meeting. Jolene reiterated that printing is a waste since the minutes are emailed to all the board members before the meeting. Jolene motioned to approve the June meeting minutes and Liza seconded the motion. - Presentation of Bills
January and July are the months with the biggest bills. July is when many of the library contracts are up for renewal. July 1st the eBook subscription is billed. Many of the memberships for the cultural passes are also due this month and there are additional costs due to summer reading performers and activities. The checks for Movies in the Park will be presented next meeting. Les Schwab has still not paid for their sponsorship. The $3,000 grant from the city for the Movies in the Park events has been approved but the check has not arrived. Mo still hasn’t sent an invoice so there’s no check for him yet. - Strategic Plan
Library staff have been working on editing the library strategic plan. “Implement new services” will need to be revisited after the summer reading program ends. The strategic plan will be revisited in the September board meeting after further editing. - August Events Discussion
Half of the vendors who signed up didn’t come, but Outdoor Fest took place on the same day as the Ranier City Days event. Performer Emmy Blue said she had better interactions at Outdoor Fest than many of the other events they’ve attended. Sasquatch also had a lot of foot traffic and good attendance for their story time. Cindy was very happy with the submitted art that she judged, and the art event went well. There was little attendance at the beginning of Outdoor Fest, but it picked up considerably by the afternoon. It was suggested that the next Outdoor Fest start later but it was pointed out that the Farmers Market starts at 9:00am and that’s when people start showing up.
The Chamber of Commerce keeps a calendar of Community events Movies by Moonlight should be added to this. Facebook advertising for the Movie events will start next week. It’s an event that populates itself as long as people know it’s happening. Fred Meyer will be donating food for the events, and the Police Department will be doing the cooking again this year. Papa Murphy’s gave the library bookmarks for free pizzas for the kids, and Toby at Fultano’s donated gift cards as prizes. The movie licensing has been confirmed and will be about $1800 for the four films, but there is no invoice yet.
The volunteer situation for next year needs to be addressed. Elisa is the volunteer coordinator and handles the library volunteers, could she manage the volunteers for events as well? This year Chelsea was able to gather volunteers of people she knows since she is a soccer coach and has many community contacts. It was suggested that all volunteers at community events be background checked. It can be a costly undertaking, but it was suggested that potential volunteers who have background checks with other organizations, like schools, can use those checks for the library. Liza stated that the library needs a bigger volunteer task force but that it needs to be safe with background checks for everyone.
The Reptile Man event at the Senior Center went really well, and the Senior Center is open to hosting other library events. - Other Business
The library is seeing record numbers of people coming into the building. Circulation is up five percent compared to this month last year. The St. Helens Library had its budget restored but they are staying closed on Thursdays to be able to afford to hire two additional part-time employees. As of yesterday there are 771 children signed up for the summer reading program.
The Bread Store is still sending bread for the produce event, but they are struggling to get bread in and have mostly buns. There is still plenty of produce being sent for the event. The local schools were able to get a Summer Lunch Program started that has been very helpful in the community. In the past the library tried to get a Summer Lunch program but was told that this side of highway 30 doesn’t qualify, but the opposite side of route 30 meets the requirements.
The elevator inspector that’s coming again in December will go over the bid that the library received from a company wanting to redo the elevator to meet the new 2030 state requirements. The bid seems very high so his input will be valuable. Jeff will get other bids as well to compare.
The fire alarm panel is malfunctioning and sending alarms to the monitoring system. Jeff and Lisa are both receiving calls about the alarm going off. Jeff had Performance come and look at the panel but they couldn’t find anything wrong. They suggested that it is because we have an internet phone system and want to charge the library $1750 to put in a satellite phone. This doesn’t make sense since the alarm panel has only recently started having problems, but the library has had internet phone for a long time. If the alarm continues having problems Jeff will have United come and look at it and see what they diagnose.
Comcast should be coming to install new cables since we have a new contract with them.
The Goodwill Job event that the library was co-hosting has been canceled as the Goodwill coordinator is no longer employed there. - Future Agenda Suggestions
Earlier in the meeting it was noted that the strategic plan will be revisited at the next meeting. - Board Comments
A general discussion of partnering on events with the Senior Center took place. There was further discussion of volunteer needs for Movies by Moonlight with it being noted that the screen goes up at about 8:30pm and is taken down at about 10:30 or 11:00pm. Jeff informed the board he will be setting up the screen sometime this week to check for leaks and to make sure the general condition is good. - Adjourn
The meeting was adjourned at 8:20 pm
Scappoose Public Library Librarian’s Report 7-15-26
- Staff Activities:
We are now on a summer schedule of programs- Weekly:
- Tuesday night: RPG games
- Tuesday AM: Music and Movement
- Tuesday night: Fiber Friends
- Wednesday morning: Food Bank Produce Distribution
- Wednesday afternoon: Lego
- Thursday AM: Ukulele club
- Thursday night: Family board games
- Friday: Storytime
- Monthly groups:
- Adult Book Club (fourth Thursdays)
- Crafts for adults (first Monday)
- Romance Book Club (second Monday)
- Crime Book Club (third Monday)
- Writers group (third Sunday)
- Teen Art (first Tuesday)
- Tween Art (third Tuesday)
- Barbie Club (first Saturday)
- Pokémon Club (first Thursday)
- Special events:
June/July: Squatchie and Friends, seed mosaics, snacklaces, sticker bingo, STEAM rescue mission, roller coaster mazes, “reading” glasses, grass creatures, Dragon Theater Puppets present Johnny Appleseed, Reptile Man, OMSI STEM programs, Spencer Sprocket, Outdoor Festival.
The July adult book club title is the Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn. The July Romance book is Loathe to Love You by Ali Hazlewood. The True Crime book club is Black Dahlia by William J Mann.
- Weekly:
- Statistics: We circulated 7,899 items in June, 5% more than last June. eBook circulation also surged to 1,651, a 9% increase. St Helens circulated 5118 items in June. We seem to be at pace to at least surpass 8,000 circulations in July. I have started spending the extra money on the eBook collection.
- Budget: At the end of June 2026, we had $325,249 in our treasury account and $35,904 in our Inroads accounts. At the end of June 2025, we had $330,348 in our treasury account and $32,729 in our Inroads accounts. The board approved the committee budget for the next year at our June meeting. I have turned all the paperwork for the budget along with the .10 5-year levy to the clerk and assessor. They have written that they received the documents and found them to be in order. Staff started with their new hours and wage on July 1. Health insurance (limited to the staff member only) begins August 1 through CIS benefits as an HDHP plan.
- Strategic Plan: Included with this report is a draft that staff came up with to promote the levy and how we plan on using it to serve the community. We can discuss it at the meeting.
- Tax Issues: Dyno Noble is still in court. Cascade Paper still has a pending remonstrance
- Grants: US Bank and the Port of Columbia County paid their pledges of $1,500 each.
- Food Drive: We are still getting weekly produce deliveries from the Columbia Pacific Food Bank and bread from the Senior Center Bread Store. In general, we are getting less food than we did at the beginning of the year. Generally, we are sold out by 11:30.
- Elevator: I sent the bid to the elevator inspector, and he said he will look at it and our current components in the elevator for compliance with the new code when he is here to inspect the elevator in December.
- Comcast Issues: We are having problems with the fire panel connecting with the monitoring service. It is intermittent and always late at night. I had a technician out to diagnose, and he blamed the cable telephone modem and recommended we install a satellite connection at a cost of $1750. I don’t really trust that diagnosis. I had to reset the phone modem again on Monday to clear a code on the monitoring system. If the problem continues, I would like to have Summit out to diagnose and make sure nothing is wrong with the board. Then I would want to have Comcast install a new phone modem to make sure that is working properly before we thing about getting a satellite phone.
- Job Corps: The Tonguepoint Job Corps hasn’t started yet. I have asked them for more details for us to promote it.
- Health Department: The Health Department gave away more life jackets and child safety equipment on July 10 at the library.
- Movies in the Park: We have gotten $5,000 in grants for Movies in the Park this year. We have had to make two substitutions in our schedule because we cannot get projection rights to any 20th Century Fox titles this summer. The new lineup is:
- August 7: National Treasure
- August 14: Cars
- August 21: Field of Dreams
- August 28: Forrest Gump
- The entertainers are Old Joints on the 7th, Mo Phillips on the 14th, Big River Big Band on the 21st, and the Tiki Men on the 28th. I have contracts with everyone but Mo and am waiting on a bill from him. I have gotten a commitment from Fred Meyer to supply food for this event as their sponsorship. I also have a dozen gift cards from Fultanos to use for Pizza Bingo. I’ll have promotional posters and other promotion next week. What’s holding me up is the lack of a contract with Mo. I don’t want to put him on the posters if he is going to back out.
- Outdoor Festival Redux: Last weekend was the Outdoor Festival and even though half the vendors didn’t show up, it was still a success. We gave out a couple of hundred promo bags, so we had more than that many people attend. Everyone had a good time and were happy, so I guess having the vendor booths is not really that important. Having something for people to do is the important part. The vendors who came were generally happy and we had a youth art contest with 3 category winners: Jillian Wheeler in the youngest division, Logan Clemen in the grade school division, and Sophie Godden in the middle through high school division. I am disappointed that no city officials attended. It is up to the board to decide whether this event happens again.
- Summer Reading: We have 771 kids enrolled in Summer Reading in the first month, which is more than last year’s total. Our total for 2025 was 740. The irregular hours at St Helens may have helped that total. We received 500 free (small) pizza certificates from the local Papa Johns to give away. We have expanded the Reader’s Garden to account for the number of kids who have completed 40 days of reading. When children read for 40 days, they can put some art up in the garden, get a free Papa Murphy’s pizza, and a small, donated prize or book from the prize cart.
Scappoose Public Library Strategic Plan 2026-2031
Introduction: Scappoose Public Library District’s 2026-2031 Strategic Plan was created by library staff and the library board with input from the Scappoose community and stakeholders. The overall objective of this plan is to anticipate the current and future needs of the Scappoose Public Library and to define priorities that will allow the library to flourish as a center for activity and learning. The library’s goal is to be an integral part of the community, its residents, and activities; to provide residents with the best available tools and resources to learn new skills and pursue new interests; and to contribute positively to the community quality of life. This strategic plan puts into writing goals, steps, and strategies the library will use to achieve that goal.
Mission Statement of the Scappoose Public Library: The purpose of the Scappoose Public Library District is to serve the informational, educational, cultural and recreational needs of the community in a welcoming environment for all.
About the Library: The Scappoose Public Library District is a special district located in and around Scappoose, Oregon, a small town outside of Portland, Oregon. The library facility is located in a building constructed in 1995 meant to appear to be a historic house in Heritage Park. The facility is 11,000 square feet and contains public areas, physical collections, and a public meeting room. The library collection consists of over 35,000 physical items and 131,000 digital items. The library also has a collection of STEAM kits for children and a Library of Things for adults.
About the Community: The Scappoose Public Library serves 14,235 residents in its special district. The community has a higher median income and is less racially diverse than the state of Oregon. About 29% of the residents are families with minor children, similar to the Oregon average. 25% of residents have a bachelor’s degree or higher compared with 33% for the Oregon average.
Service Priorities, Goals, and Objectives
- Core Collections and Services
Goal: Continue to enhance library collections and services for personal enjoyment, education, and enrichment for patrons of all ages.
Action Steps:- Expand physical collections based on community needs (ongoing)
- Include household tools including sewing machines, cordless tools, etc. (ongoing)
- Expand Steam kit offerings (ongoing)
- Use community surveys to determine area of focus. (ongoing)
- Expand video game collection to reflect interest and demands.
- Provide more helpful reader’s advisory (ongoing)
- Explore online tools for reader’s advisory
- Direct patrons to sources like Goodreads and other sources for suggestions on what to read next
- Evaluate collections regularly for popularity, value, and timeliness.
- Weed collections annually (at a minimum) based on use
- Analyze collections annually (at a minimum) for accuracy of information and outdatedness.
- Add new collections based on community needs (ongoing)
- Explore online technology to enhance services (ongoing)
- Purchase new technology that the community can use
- Provide regular delivery between our partner library St. Helens and Scappoose (2021)
- Expand ebook and audio collection based on demand.
- Investigate cultural passes that we don’t already offer.
- Offer Sunday hours.
- Expand physical collections based on community needs (ongoing)
- Programming
Goal: To provide a diverse range of programs for all age levels that promotes understanding and community engagement
Action Steps:- Work toward the establishment of an event volunteer workforce. Expand the volunteer base.
- Expand evening programming opportunities.
- Partner with community organizations on annual events and festivals. (ongoing)/
- Provide events for the entire community in the library facility and Heritage Park (ongoing)
- Provide reading centered programming during summer school break. (ongoing)
- Provide space for self-run groups to meet in the library (gaming, crafts, etc.) (ongoing)
- Create passive activities for children so they can participate around their schedule (ongoing)
- Partner with community organizations and non-profits to offer programs that foster a connection to the community.
- Provide public art space for children and community artists (2027)
- Enable more “how to” programs (ongoing)
- Enable programs in gardening, food growing (ongoing)
- Community Outreach and Engagement
Goal: To provide awareness in the community of library programs and services and provide for and engage the neediest in our community.
Action Steps:- Connect with community social resources to provide services to our neediest patrons. (ongoing)
- Provide regular programs with local social workers.
- Provide referral service for Scappoose for social services.
- Structure a comprehensive social media/marketing plan. (ongoing)
- Continue a Little Free Library program on the library grounds (ongoing)
- Perform an bi-annual community survey to determine community needs (bi-annual)
- Continuously evaluate services and programs to assure they are wanted and meet community needs. (ongoing)
- Maintain online library card applications
- Maintain connections with local teachers to support educational needs. (ongoing)
- Connect with community social resources to provide services to our neediest patrons. (ongoing)
- Facilities/Technology
Goal: Provide community and staff with the appropriate physical environment and technology to serve their current and future needs
Action Steps:- Improve physical appearance of the library (ongoing)
- Redo Children’s Area mural to make it more appealing while retaining children’s library name.
- Enhance library entry to make it more modern and appealing. (2028)
- Develop better signage inside and outside the library. (ongoing)
- Plan for replacement of physical systems/furniture before failure. (ongoing)
- Continue to support technology for public to use (ongoing)
- Maintain public websites to align with government regulations
- Improve physical appearance of the library (ongoing)
- Fundraising
Goal: Provide for the Library’s financial stability upon which the community depends on for essential library programs and support.
Action Steps:- Increase cost of non-resident cards to more accurately reflect taxpayer cost (ongoing)
- Increase meeting room rental fees to more market level rates (ongoing)
- Pursue funding through grants (ongoing)
- Pursue donations through an annual fundraising campaign. (ongoing)
- Staff
Goal: To build and sustain a professional staff that is knowledgeable, customer focused, and prepared to lead the library in pursuit of its vision, mission, goals, and objectives
Action Steps:- Provide external staff training in professional development (ongoing)
- Allow staff to attend professional training or events at least once a year
- Provide opportunities for staff to train online in areas related to job duties
- Provide staff training in technology and emerging services
- Train staff in new technologies offered by the library (ongoing)
- Disseminate Tech Talk guides (ongoing)
- Provide external staff training in professional development (ongoing)