Board Minutes Sept. 15, 2026

THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE CUYAHOGA FALLS LIBRARY and 
The William and Margaretta Taylor Memorial Association 

REGULAR MEETING 
Tuesday, September 15, 2026 
Sutliff Room 

1. Call To Order:

Robin Worthington called the meeting to order at 6:00 pm. 

In Attendance: 

Robin Worthington, Karen Schofield, Cheryl Bruce, Mike Dunton, Bradley LeBoeuf, Christine Stewart, Sean Blake, Bryan Van Sweringen, Noah Spinner, Rick Rubin. Director Andrew Harant, Assistant Director Jennifer Reynard, Fiscal Officer Kevin Gemmell  

Excused: Sandy Zirke 

2. Adoption of Agenda: 

Bryan Van Sweringen moved to approve the agenda of the Regular Board Meeting of September 15, 2026, as amended. 2nd by Cheryl Bruce. Motion passed unanimously.  

3. Approval of Minutes:

Karen Schofield moved to approve the minutes of the Regular Board Meeting of August 18, 2026. 2nd by Sean Blake. Two abstentions: Rick Rubin and Bryan Van Sweringen. Motion passed. 

4. Board Education:

• Children's Manager Amy Galluch recapped the Summer Reading Wrap-up. She explained that the theme this year was unearth reading and that this year attendance was up 18% with an increase in completion of all programs.  

5. Public Participation:

• Raelene Gorlinsky was present and thanked everyone for supporting her attendance and answering all her questions. She thinks we should explain to the public more the actual cost of running a Library.  

6. Treasurer’s Report:

Resolution 26-46: Move that the Cuyahoga Falls Library Board of Trustees approve the payment of bills for August 2026 in the amount of $250,962.05. Bradley LeBoeuf. 2nd by Mike Dunton. Passed unanimously. 

It was reported that the library received $140,033.73 in PLF revenue. 

Resolution 26-47: Move that the Cuyahoga Falls Library Board of Trustees approve the Financial Report subject to audit. Bradley LeBoeuf. 2nd by Bryan Van Sweringen. Passed unanimously. 

7. Board President Report:

• Thank you to Children’s Manager, Amy, for her wrap-up presentation on the Summer Reading Program. Also, thanks to the other committee members for their work with the Summer Reading Program: Angela (Children’s Librarian), Danielle (Marketing and PR Manager), Elizabeth M. (Adult and Teen Manager), Brianna (Teen Librarian), and Katherine V. (Assistant Adult and Teen Manager). Your commitment to the Cuyahoga Falls Library is deeply appreciated. 

• Thank you for the gift of $100 from an anonymous donor. 

• The Library will soon be getting three new self-checkout machines. One machine will be located by the desk in the Adult and Teen services area, one will be located in the Children’s Department and one will be in the Circulation checkout area. These machines will make the checkout process flow more smoothly, especially for caregivers with young children. The children may continue with their activity while their caregiver checks out the materials they wish to borrow. The machines will take up much less space and be adaptable for anyone who needs the screen lowered. Some of the area previously occupied by the current checkout machines will now have a vending machine. This vending machine has been located in the staff lounge and will now be available to patrons as well as staff. 

• In a partnership with the City of Cuyahoga Falls, the second StoryWalk was opened on August 25th at Trails End Park. This was funded in part by an America 250 Ohio grant. The new concrete walking path through the park is lined by the StoryWalk. What a fun literacy activity for families to enjoy! 
• Finally, one of my favorite comments from patrons this month was: “I like the vibe at the library under the direction of Jen and Andy.” Each month we see numerous evidences of their fine leadership both in the Library and in our community. They have worked as a highly effective team to change the culture of the Cuyahoga Falls Library. Patrons remark often about the positive attitude, warm welcome, and attention to patrons’ requests by all the staff members. This has been modeled daily by our Director and Assistant Director. Thank you both for embodying the Library’s values and daily demonstrating your passion and dedication. You are appreciated! 
  
  Committee Reports:
  

1. Building:  
   No Report 
   
   
2. Policies/Bylaws Review: 
   Reviewed Section of Employee Handbook (4.14 Use of Library Vehicles). Will meet again on 9/23 for further review and revisions.
   
   Use of Artificial Intelligence Policy 
   
   Resolution 26-48: Move that the Cuyahoga Falls Library Board of Trustees amend the Use of Artificial Intelligence Policy. Robin Worthington. 2nd by Mike Dunton. Passed unanimously. 
   
   Resolution 26-49: Move that the Cuyahoga Falls Library Board of Trustees approve the Use of Artificial Intelligence Policy as amended. Karen Schofield. 2nd by Bryan Van Sweringen. Passed unanimously. 
   
3. Finance/Audit Committee:  
   No Report 
   
   
4. Graefe Memorial:  
   Bryan Van Sweringen thanked Robin Worthington for keeping up with the flowers in his absence.  
   
   
5. Personnel Committee:  
   No Report 
   
   
6. Affleck Scholarship Committee: 
   No Report 
   
   
7. Strategic Planning Committee: 
   Rick Rubin spoke about how NEO-RLS will be handling the development of our Strategic Plan.
   
   
8. Library Foundation Liaison: 
   Noah Spinner advised that Sage & Lavander is now selling merchandise related to the library and that the Foundation will receive part of the proceeds of that merchandise. He also spoke about a memorandum of understanding between the Foundation and the Library. 
   
   Motion: Move that the Cuyahoga Falls Library Board of Trustees donate library puzzles to the Cuyahoga Falls Library foundation for a puzzle sale. Noah Spinner. 2nd by Mike Dunton. After further discussions and concerns, the Motion was withdrawn by Noah Spinner 

9. Director’s Report:

• In a recent incident, police came in with a library card asking us to verify to whom it belonged. Staff followed policies and procedures correctly, and police presented a subpoena for this parton information. Councilperson Nikki Cebula learned of this incident in a meeting with the Police Chief and called me to express her appreciation on how the library responded to this. Great job to the library staff. 😊  

• We are excited about new self-check machines. We have selected a vendor and product. It not only seems to be our best option in terms of usability and accessibility, but it is also the cheapest option. We will be replacing the two self-checks near the Checkout Desk with one unit in that area and adding units near the Adult and Children’s Desks. 

• As our Board President mentioned, we had a ribbon-cutting of our new StoryWalk at Trails End Park. This was a partnership with the City funded in part by an America 250-Ohio grant. Led by Assistant Director Jen Reynard. This is our 2nd StoryWalk, with the other being located at Lions Park. We have discussed adding one to Silver Lake’s Arboretum with Mayor Dunphy, and Mayor Walters has a future 3rd location in mind for Cuyahoga Falls. 

• As mentioned in my written report, the Collection Development Team cataloged and processed an additional 835 titles above their usual workload to prepare items for the new CFL collection at the Cuyahoga Falls Preschool. These books were purchased through three grants: Celebrating Ohio Book Awards & Authors Grant from the State Library of Ohio, Community Block Development Grant from the City of Cuyahoga Falls, and the Millenium Fund for Children Grant from the Akron Community Foundation. 

• Our Silver Lake Senior Café outreach is slowly growing in popularity. We had 5 attendees in August, which was our best yet. We are rebranding as Craft Café, and we will be sending physical mailers to library cardholders in Silver Lake, promoting Craft Café, digital resources, and online author events. 

• We plan to share our monthly stats in a new format from our Library IQ software starting next month and wanted to get feedback from the board. 

• I shared details of an upcoming personal medical leave with the board. 

10. Personnel Report:

• RESOLUTION 26-50: Move that the Cuyahoga Falls Library Board of Trustees approve the August 2026 Personnel Report. Sean Blake 2nd by Rick Rubin. Motion passed unanimously. 

11. Unfinished Business: 

• No Report 

12. New Business: 

• Library vehicle 

• RESOLUTION 26-51: Move that the Cuyahoga Falls Library Board of Trustees authorizes the purchase of a Toyota Sienna hybrid minivan for library use for $46,498 from the Endowment Fund. Sean Blake 2nd by Mike Dunton. Motion passed unanimously. 

13. Adjournment:

Mike Dunton moved to adjourn the meeting. 2nd by Sean Blake. Motion passed unanimously. Meeting adjourned at 7:45 pm. 

Robin Worthington, Board President        

Approved By Karen Schofield, Secretary