411 West First Street  
City of Duluth  
Duluth, Minnesota 55802  
Minutes - Final  
Library Board.  
Tuesday, April 7, 2026  
4:30 PM  
Mount Royal Branch Library; 105 Mt. Royal Shopping Circle;  
Duluth, MN  
Call To Order  
The meeting was called to order at 4:32 PM by Bill Arezzo, President  
Welcome and Introductions  
Members present: Bill Arezzo, Sue Henke, Lori Steinbach, Ellen Hatfield, Jose  
Gonzalez, Carlee Bladl, Sarah Kessler, Michelle Foshay  
Also in attendance: Library Manager Carla Powers, PPL Director Erik Birkeland,  
City Councilor Jordon Johnson, Arrowhead Library System Executive Director  
Mollie Stanford, ALS Finance and Administrative Services Manager Nikki  
Erickson  
Review and Approve Agenda  
Motion by Gonzalez, seconded by Henke, to approve agenda. Motion passed  
unanimously.  
Approve Minutes of March 2026 meeting  
Motion by Foshay, seconded by Bladl, to approve minutes as drafted. Motion  
passed unanimously.  
Public Comment  
None  
Reports  
LB33  
Library Manager’s Report April 2026  
One Book Northland events will be happening in the Twin Ports throughout April.  
Library staff will have an all-ages escape room in April to test people’s media  
literacy skills, challenging participants to spot deepfakes and misinformation.  
Staffing updates: with the hiring of a half-time Library Technician, the Mount  
Royal Branch is fully staffed again.  
LB35  
LB36  
Library Usage Report February 2026  
Friends of the Library Report April 2026  
The Friends Board voted to approve the Memorandum of Understanding between  
the Duluth Library Foundation and the Friends.  
Discussions continued about members taking a more active role in leadership  
positions.  
LB37  
Duluth Library Foundation Report April 2026  
The Foundation finalized their board meeting schedule. They will meet every  
other month on the third Wednesday.  
Old Business  
LB15  
Safety Updates  
The Michigan Street entry closure at the Main Library went into effect April 6.  
While it’s recognized that accessibility is impacted by the closure, the decision  
was made in order to make the library safer and more welcoming for patrons. It’s  
a best practice in library design to have only one point of entry to the building.  
Library staff will be monitoring any complaints and tracking safety incidents to  
help measure the impact of the closure.  
LB16  
Main Library facility/regional library services district  
A study by MSR on the Arrowpointe facility is complete. City staff is seeking final  
approval from HUD on a congressionally-directed spending grant. The grant will  
fund a study that is meant to build on previous studies, exploring the potential for  
a regional library system, looking at library locations, and gathering public input.  
The first step will be to issue a Request for Proposals and secure one or more  
consultants to guide the work, which is expected to begin in mid to late summer.  
LB21  
Advocacy Update  
No update  
New Business  
LB29  
Request for Reconsideration appeal  
There was discussion about the patron appeal of the decision to retain the book  
The Truth About Hillary by Edward Klein in DPL’s collection.  
Motion by Foshay, seconded by Henke, to affirm the decision and keep the book.  
Motion passed unanimously.  
LB30  
Council resolution to accept Arrowhead Library System reimbursement  
Powers explained that this reimbursement, in the amount of $47,002, is part of  
the library’s budgeted revenue. A resolution to formally accept the funds will go  
to the City Council in May.  
Motion by Foshay, seconded by Bladl, to approve the resolutions as drafted.  
Motion passed unanimously.  
LB31  
2025 annual report  
A few statistics were highlighted:  
A few statistics were highlighted:  
Registered users increased, in part because Harbor City students now have Port  
Cards.  
80% of cardholders are City of Duluth residents.  
Circulation increased, partly due to instituting auto renewal for materials.  
Reference transactions declined somewhat, which is a common trend in  
libraries.  
Motion by Gonzalez, seconded by Steinbach, to approve the annual report.  
Motion passed unanimously.  
LB32  
Arrowhead Library System presentation  
Mollie Stanford presented on the different types of library systems in Minnesota  
(consolidated and federated), as well as the services provided by the Arrowhead  
Library System for the seven counties in the region. She also touched on  
potential impacts of creating a new regional library system.  
Adjournment  
Meeting adjourned: 6:27 pm  
Next Meeting: May 5, 2026 Main Library Gold Room