The Meeting of the Eisenhower Public Library District Board of Trustees Island Within A City Committee July 7, 2022.
CALL TO ORDER
President Braun, called the meeting to order at 6:31 P.M.
ROLL CALL
Present: Ringelstein, Braun, Parent, Krebs, Magnuson.
Absent: Magnelli, Ross.
Also Present: Bacarella. Committee members Stacy Wittmann, Dawn Parent, Dan McPhillips, Penny Blubaugh, Julie Stam.
Absent: Rich Massaro.
COVID DECLARATION
Declaration by the Board President that a fully in-person meeting is not Practical or Prudent because of COVID.
RECOGNITION OF VISITORS
There were no visitors present.
PUBLIC COMMENT
There were no public comments.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Trustee Parent moved, seconded by Trustee Krebs THAT THE MINUTES OF THE ISLAND WITHIN A CITY COMMITTEE MINUTES HELD JUNE 16, 2022 BE APPROVED. A Roll Call Vote on the Motion was taken and the results were as follows: AYES Magnuson, Ringelstein, Parent, Krebs, Braun. NAYS None. ABSENT Magnelli, Ross. The motion carried.
ISLAND WITHIN A CITY BOOK COMMITTEE
Who is Our Audience?
The committee discussed who they thought their audience would be. Director Wittmann thought community members; past, present and future would be the primary audience. Trustee Parent mentioned that they should try to draw out of that folks outside of the community who want to learn about the community. Director Wittmann thought those people should be their secondary audience. Trustee Parent advised that he wanted to strive to make the book accessible to people outside the community. They agreed that their secondary audience would be people outside the community and Trustee Parent said they could have a Tertiary audience so it could be used as a reference book by researchers. The committee all agreed that they would commit to having the book provide sufficient context information that a reader unfamiliar with the community would be able to understand references to local features and subjects. Trustee Ringelstein thought the book should have a level of readability. The majority of people in the community have a high school diploma. They could work with the editor on this.
Update Our Working Thesis
The committee discussed Trustee Parent’s revised thesis and Director Wittmann’s thesis. The committee tweaked Director Wittmann’s thesis a bit.
To follow is the revised thesis:
Norridge and Harwood Heights make up a community that is at its core a microcosm of the American Experience. Independence, self-determination, community involvement, and a local focus are values that have helped it retain its heritage as an Island in a City. Embracing significant cultural, economic, and technological changes, this Island in a City has continued to thrive.
Consider How Our Working Thesis Can Help Us to Develop More Substantial and Relevant Topics
Director Wittmann proposed a timeline to the committee. Each chapter will have the same outline that would include an introductory page – why this chapter, essays, and photos.
To follow is a list of the draft chapters that the:
Chapter 1: We are an island; we are not alone
Chapter 1: Gone but not forgotten
Chapter 2: Shop local…and also global
Chapter 3: Family life
Chapter 4: Welcome to our Island – Immigration
Chapter 5: Keeping the island afloat- Village Government
Chapter 6: To serve and protect – Police and Fire
Chapter 7: Schools
Chapter 8: Park District
Chapter 9: Library
Chapter 10: Churches
Chapter 11: Women belong in the board room – Women as community leaders and influencers
Chapter 12: Working Together – Community Events
Chapter 13: Pandemic
Chapter 14: Changes
Chapter 15: The Next Chapter – tying it all together, looking forward
Chapter 16: Looking back, looking forward – remembering how it “used to be,” looking forward to what it could be
Chapter 17: We remember…-remembering those who have left us
The chapters will all have indexes.
Identifying Chapter Headings, Continued
Dawn Parent reported that she wrote a working thesis for the chapter on Women in Leadership. She read it to the committee. Director Wittmann mentioned that they should get input from women who are involved in the community but not in an official role. Influencers and community organizers. Director Wittmann advised that they need to identify why each topic is important and then go from there. They need to get the general prompts out when the school year starts. They will need to discuss how to get the prompts out to the community. Dawn recommended putting the prompts in virtual backpacks. Julie will check with the school superintendent.
Next Meeting Date
The next meeting will take place tentatively Thursday, August 11 at 6:30 P.M.
Other Business
There was no other business.
ADJOURNMENT
Trustee Ringelstein moved, seconded by Trustee Magnuson, THAT THE MEETING BE ADJOURNED. A Roll Call Vote on the Motion was taken and the results were as follows: AYES Magnuson, Ringelstein, Parent, Krebs, Braun. NAYS None. ABSENT Magnelli, Ross. The motion carried. The Committee Meeting was adjourned at 7:24 P.M.
