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HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Ames Public Library Board of Trustees Minutes of the Regular Meeting January 21, 2021Ames Public Library Board of Trustees Minutes of the Regular Meeting January 21, 2021 The Ames Public Library (APL) Board of Trustees met in regular session on Thursday, January 21, 2021, via Zoom, with Barchman, Butler, Glatz, Kluesner, Marcu, Myers, Raman, and Thorbs-Weber in attendance. Marshall has resigned. Director Schafer was also in attendance. Call to Order: President Kluesner called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Consent Agenda: Moved by Myers, seconded by Butler, to approve the consent agenda items as follows: 1. Resolution approving donation: A. From Brenda and Robert Brown ......................................................... $50.00 B. From Jake Graves in thanks for curbside service ............................... $20.00 C. From Mike Lazere ............................................................................... $17.74 D. In memory of Helen and Leonard Bergman from Al Bergman .......... $100.00 E. In memory of Phyllis Harris from Linda and Al Carver ........................ $50.00 F. From Donna and James Kienzler ...................................................... $100.00 2. Motion approving minutes of the regular meeting December 17, 2020 3. Motion approving payment of claims 12/1/20 -12/31/20 Vote on Motion: 8-0. Approved unanimously. Resolution No. 2021-L001 adopted. Public Forum: None Activity Reports: Assistant City Manager Schildroth: Schildroth was unable to attend but had emailed updates to Schafer to share. • City Council had a workshop this past Tuesday to listen and ask questions about GIP projects for 2021-2026. This item will be on next Tuesday's Council agenda for public input. • Updates will be provided on the Downtown Plaza and Indoor Aquatic Center during next Tuesday's Council meeting. These two projects are part of the larger Reinvestment District pre-application to the state. • Budget presentations will be held February 2-4, 2021 via Zoom. • Department Heads have been asked to talk with staff about the importance of staying home will ill with COVID-like symptoms. This is a City policy and employees are subject to disciplinary action if the policy is not adhered to. Administrative Staff Report: Schafer gave a report to the Board. • Today Rastogi and Gent presented at the Iowa Library online conference about Black Arts and Music Festival. • We made an offer that was accepted for the Adult Services Librarian position; it is pending the background check, but moving forward. We have narrowed the pool for the Principal Clerk position to six candidates. Those individuals will be taking skills tests next week with interviews scheduled for the first week of February. The Adult Services Library Assistant position will be posted next. We received the resignation of our Teen Librarian, who will be leaving the end of January. • Schafer is on the search committee for ISU Parks Library Dean. • Leadership Ames began. • The budget presentation to City Council is February 2, 2021 at 5:15 p.m. Briseno will be joining Schafer. We will send out the link when it is available. • City Council had the CIP piece yesterday which includes the Library's carpet replacement project. We may receive funding for the front entryway doors this fiscal year. The Board discussed the doors. • The City did a curbside video for the Library to show everything that goes in to curbside service. The City is going to do another video to highlight some of the other things that are available like the grab and go bags, hotspots, or at home activity kits. Eventually we will update our tour video. • We are preparing for staff day which is February 15. We are mapping out an agenda. We will have a hybrid between Zoom and the auditorium. • We received an art donation inquiry for a single piece of art that Schafer shared with Art Committee. Schafer hasn't connected with the person yet. Raman asked about the City's request regarding APLFF finances. The Board discussed the request. The Director did take the request to the President of APLFF. The APLFF is a separate 501(c)(3) with their own bylaws and Board. Their finances are confidential. The APLFF 990 form is available to the public. The City may request any information from the APLFF Board directly as they would any other outside entity. Donor intent, limitations on bequests, and the APLFF bylaws direct how their funding is spent. The APL receives monies from the APLFF through an MOU and annual ask. APLFF Report: Myers and Butler gave a report to the Board. • The solicited donations and holiday mailing are both doing well noting that even with the different service model donors are giving at a higher level. • They applied for a grant from Great Western Bank that would be used for more hotspots. • They will be having a Planned Giving workshop with the Story County Community Foundation providing a speaker. • They are working on updating their mission statement. • The Fund raising Committee just had a retreat. They reviewed the role of the committee versus the role of the Development Officer, their strategic plan, and goals. • There is an ad hoc committee looking at software to possibly replace their current software system. The current system is paid for through November 2021. Budget and Finance Committee Report: Glatz gave a report to the Board. • Glatz explained that the percentages spent to date are based on the adopted budget. The adjusted budget will be less, so this percentage will need to be adjusted accordingly. • Spending is tracking nicely. Board Education: Schafer introduced Volunteer Services Coordinator Bohlke and highlighted some of the ways Bohlke and staff have stayed in touch with volunteers. Bohlke gave a presentation to the Board about the Library's Volunteer Program. • 511 volunteers contributed nearly 17,000 hours of assistance in 2018/19. That's an average of 48 hours each day the library was open. • 326 volunteers contributed nearly 10,867 hours of assistance in 2019/20; this is with the Library closing March 16, 2020 and not being able to have our volunteers working the rest of the fiscal year. • Volunteers of all ages help with a variety of projects. Volunteers help shelf books, work on processing interlibrary loans, Project Smyles, home deliveries to homebound patrons, hosting programs, selling books, sorting donations, pulling holds, summer meal programs, etc. We couldn't do what we do without them. • When curbside services started we invited some volunteers back to assist with pulling holds lists. Normal holds lists are 25-30 pages a day, which requires 2-3 people. With curbside this jumped to 75 pages a day, requiring 6-8 people a day, seven days a week. • Devine, an Inspire Program tutor, researched models available virtually, trained volunteers, and kept the program going so that none of the students have had to end tutoring services. •The Teen Advisory Group (TAG) group never stopped meeting, they adapted and used Discord as a platform for meetings, discussions, and online events. • Volunteers immediately started making masks and continue to do so. • The Literary Grounds area was needed to shelf holds. Volunteers adapted and created book bundles in order to have some books available for sale. •The Library has served as a site for the summer meal program, giving out 5,500 lunches every summer between June and August. This summer eight of the most experienced youth volunteers and an intern provided the grab and go meals, which included free book giveaways. Story County has been one of highest food insecurity counties in Iowa. • Policies had to be adapted to keep staff and volunteers safe. We are bringing volunteers back in to the library as we are able. Even those that have been with us for decades have had to be reoriented. Half of the crew of volunteers that process interlibrary loan materials was brought back in August. • Programming has continued online with story times, Reading Radio, two book clubs meeting are meeting virtually, and Project Smyles are meeting virtually with classrooms and daycare centers. • Home delivery is just getting back under way. • Volunteer recognition and staying connected is to our volunteers is extremely important to the staff and the volunteers. In the past we held volunteer lunches but it was cancelled in 2020. Staff have been creative in keeping in touch with the volunteers through greeting cards, phone calls, emails, and check-ins. Bohlke has sent out weekly updates, letting them know updates to service models, staff departures, COVID information, online service access, etc. Staff made several videos to stay connected and celebrated National Volunteer Month on Facebook to thank volunteers and let them know they are missed. Bohlke thanked the Board, stating through the whole experience the volunteers have felt safe and are grateful the Library is taking COVID seriously. Through support the Board gives to staff, staff are able to support the volunteers. • Thorbs-Weber asked how long volunteers stay and what their orientation looks like. Bohlke does a tour, policy and procedure review, all volunteers have background checks, they review job duties but other staff do most of the training of the duties. We have volunteers that have been here 30 years, and others that come to fulfill a specific requirement. We are able to accommodate the person that needs a one-time project or those that want to come in on a regular schedule. • Marcu thanked Bohlke for the wonderful presentation. She had previously known very little about the volunteer program. Marcu is impressed with all the ways staff have engaged and appreciated the volunteers. Marcu asked what the minimum age was to volunteer. Bohlke said most are around 11 years of age, around 5th grade. Some younger children do come in with families, for example a homeschooling family with three children, their youngest was 5 when they started but they were supervised by mom. Bohlke would love to see that expand. • Butler has appreciated the curbside service; staff always run out with a smile and make it look fun. There is a curbside video, and it is as fun as it looks. • Kluesner asked if it is predominately high school students. Service Learning tract is all high school seniors, and some silver cord students through Gilbert, but the majority of youth were much younger, 12-13 year olds. Of the 100 volunteers during the summers, very seldom are any of them forced by parents. • Kluesner asked about the homebound delivers. Bohlke doesn't know exact statistics but knows there are 10 volunteers that deliver. It could be an individual person or a home. Kluesner thanked Bohlke for the presentation. Policy Review: Expressions of Concern Policy: Schafer introduced the policy. The recommended revisions included correcting a typo a typo in the second paragraph "While customers are free to reject for themselves what that they do not approve of', removing the first sentence in the second paragraph "Ames Public Library does not endorse particular ideas, beliefs, or views", combining the fifth and sixth bullets under the Expression of Concern, and added "may" schedule an appointment on third bullet. Moved by Raman, seconded by Myers, to approve the amendments to the Petition Policy as presented. Vote on Motion: 8-0. Approved unanimously. Resolution No. 2021-L002 adopted. Director's General Job Duties Policy: Schafer introduced the policy for the initial review. It will be brought back next month as an action item. The Board discussed the policy. Suggestions include adding maintaining the State Accreditation, any professional license requirements if needed, and reaching out to colleagues to see if other changes should be made. Unfinished Business: Service Offerings: Schafer reviewed the current service model with the Board. The Library will shift to lobby services on February 1, 2021. The situation will continue to be monitored and discussed at the next Board meeting. Trustee Comments: • Thorbs-Weber -no comments, thank you everyone have a good evening and weekend • Glatz -had an enjoyable time with everyone this evening • Raman -thank you all • Barchman -thank you, no comments • Marcu -let's hope it is the last stretch • Butler -lot of things to catch up on, thank you all • Myers -thanks to Schafer for being so flexible and helping to keep the staff and patrons safe • Kluesner -thank you for everything Johannes, thank everyone for being here and doing what we can for the community. Adjournment: Moved by Butler, seconded by Myers, to adjourn at 8:47 pm. Vote on Motion: 7-0 (Kluesner abstaining; Marshall resigned). Motion approved unanimously. The next regular meeting will be on Thursday, February 18, 2021, at 7:00 p.m., via Zoom. Melissa Johanne , Library Secretary Sandra Marcu, Board Secretary