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HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Ames Public Library Board of Trustees Minutes of the Regular Meeting 04/19/2018 Ames Public Library Board of Trustees Minutes of the Regular Meeting April 19, 2018 The Ames Public Library (APL) Board of Trustees met in regular session on Thursday, April 19, 2018 in the Dale H. Ross Board Room, 515 Douglas Avenue, with Barchman, Briese, Butler, Kluesner, Linch, Marshall, Raman and Wang in attendance. Glatz was excused. Library Director Carey, Adult Services Manager Mary Logsdon, Customer Account Services Manager Tracy Briseño, and Youth Services Manager Jerri Heid were also present. Call to Order: Board Vice President Kluesner called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Welcome New Trustees: New trustees D. Raj Raman and Toni Wang were welcomed and introductions were made around the table. Consent Agenda: Moved by Briese, seconded by Raman, to approve the following items on the consent agenda: 1) Resolution accepting donations: a) From Ames Noon Kiwanis for the INSPIRE program ........................ $1,000.00 b) From Golden K Kiwanis for children’s books .................................... $1,000.00 c) In memory of Evon Bailey from Margaret Knox ...................................... $25.00 d) In memory of Joan Mohler from i) Keith and Martha Bornemeier .................................................................. $25.00 ii) Noralane Lindor ...................................................................................... $250.00 e) In memory of Janet Klaas from Fern Kupfer on behalf of Janet’s book club, for a set of book club books .................................................................. $140.00 2) Motion approving minutes of the regular meeting of March 15, 2018 3) Motion approving payment of claims 3/1/18 – 3/31/18 Vote on Motion: 7-0. Approved unanimously. Resolution No. 2018-L010 adopted. Public Forum: None. Financial Reports: Financial reports ending March 31, 2018, were distributed in the meeting packets. During conversation, it was noted that all expenses for the remainder of the year for internal data services and insurance were paid in March. Ames Public Library Friends Foundation (APLFF) Report: Carey said Ana McCracken was welcomed as a new director who is taking Jennifer Garst’s position. The Teen Advisory Group is planning a silent disco party and has received permission from the City to hold a 5K run/ fundraising event on August 25. They’ve selected a superhero theme and will begin seeking sponsorships soon. The Sales Committee had a wonderful month. In spite of having been a bit nervous early on about holding a major book sale during spring break, the earnings were good. Literary Grounds and on-line sales were also strong, so the committee has already met its annual income goal. A job description for a book sales intern who will help in Literary Grounds has been created by the Human Resources Intern. The Fundraising committee sent out the spring mailing to current donors and responses are coming in. Carey said the most successful Author Café to date took place on Saturday, April 15; 120 tickets were sold and the crowd was well pleased. She said the next Author Café will be on October 14 featuring ISU poet Jennifer Knox and Grandview poet Paul Brooke. Finally, Carey reported that the Marketing Committee is working on a new APLFF website that should be easier to keep up to date. 2 Administrative Staff Report: Carey stated that Diana Hopkins and Patience Leuth were hired as Parent Educators for the Small Talk Program and are currently being trained. Jan Heuss will be retiring at the end of the month from the Adult Services division. Her hours will be taken up by three part-time employees who are already on staff and wish to work more hours. The Library has an opportunity to hire a half-time Marketing Assistant starting July 1, so the search for an employee will begin soon. A new position has been posted for a person who will be shared by APL and the Iowa State University Parks Library to help with marketing and adult programming. The job is being funded by APLFF. Other news shared by Carey included: • Nine library employees were honored for their years of service earlier in the day at the City’s Annual Awards Banquet, which recognizes every five-year milestone. • The Novel Ideas Team, which is looking at suggested innovations, has reviewed the first round of submissions. The ideas they select will be funded with the $10,000 the Board requested from APLFF. • On Earth Day—Sunday, April 21—APL will showcase its efforts toward efficiency and sustainability, and celebrate the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold status that was attained with the Library Renewal Project. The LEED plaque will be hung in the lobby near the front doors and the Community Relations Officer has created a display detailing some of the “green” features of the building. • The 2018 Volunteer Luncheon was held on Tuesday, April 17, with a nautical theme for decorations and food. Over 100 volunteers were in attendance. • The most recent issue of the Iowa State University (ISU) College of Human Sciences publication, Matters, included several photos of APL’s Small Talk teachers and families. Sex Offender Policy: Moved by Barchman, seconded by Butler, to adopt a resolution approving revisions to the Sex Offender Policy as presented/amended. Carey said that the language pertaining to a person’s ability to appeal decisions was clarified. Vote on Motion (as presented): 7-0. Approved unanimously. Resolution No. 2018-L011 adopted. Collections Policy: Carey said the Leadership Team and Selector’s Team will be looking at the policy in the next month or two and may recommend some changes. They will compare it with policies from some other Midwestern libraries in university communities and input from the trustees is always welcome. Carey stated that the American Library Association prepares documents that help libraries develop policies; she pointed out that three are cited at the end of APL’s policy. Carey was asked how selectors were chosen, who they were, if there were a term, and who offers input during the process of selection. Logsdon stated that there are many avid readers in the community who make suggestions for purchases, and the Library usually purchases everything requested. She added that items need to be removed when new materials are purchased and that sometimes causes angst. Librarians assigned to specific types of purchases such as book club books keep tabs on library journals, check circulations, and make decisions to withdraw some items to add new. Logsdon said that APL usually switches out 10-12 book club titles per year. One trustee said that he had initially wondered if the policy provided sufficient guidance, but it seemed he was hearing that the process is working as it is. Carey replied affirmatively and said 3 the Library has intentionally tried to pull back from being too prescriptive; instead, the question asked of staff is, “Is the policy working for you?” When asked what is done when people want to donate a book the Library doesn’t have, Logsdon said staff may speak about whether something has or hasn’t circulated, discuss the condition of the materials, or explain that APL is not an archive. In general, she said, it just comes down to having a good conversation. Strategic Plan Review: Carey explained that an analysis of the building, workflow, and all activities happening in the library was done during the building construction. The 2016-2018 plan was developed as a document that could be used for guidance—especially on when to say “no”—and to help move the library in a general direction. Customer Accounts Services Manager Tracy Briseño said there was an attempt to carry on the collaborative spirit that had developed during the building project into something that worked well for the Library and the community. She reviewed the plan’s development process, which included internal activities, a community survey, and the professional assistance of Jamie LaRue. She said it works well for staff. Youth Services Manager Jerri Heid spoke about some of the activities that have met or are successfully meeting the strategic initiatives. Implementation of the Small Talk program, for example, addressed the “Encourage Early Literacy Skill Development” initiative and the Library’s collaborative connections with the organization now known as Story County Reads help promote literacy and address the “Enhancing Strategic Partnerships” initiative. Trustee Wang noted that there seemed to be few multicultural aspects mentioned in the plan. During discussion, it was allowed that multiculturalism, inclusiveness, and support for diversity underlie the entire plan and are evident in APL’s operations and policies, but agreed that language to that effect should be added to emphasize those values. Briseño approached the “Ensure Excellent Customer Service” initiative by explaining ways in which customers are assisted in being successful, responsible library users and how employees work to make everyone feel welcome. The trustees posed questions about how the work was being managed and prioritized, and about the timeline. Carey said that for accreditation the State Library requires that libraries have a strategic plan that follows certain guidelines. A timeline was included for that reason; however, she said it seemed that sequential progress didn’t work as well—this Plan is seen as more of a web. Staff tries to be prepared to tackle things and take advantage of opportunities as they come up, and when something begins, it might suggest that work be done on another aspect or that a different direction be taken. When asked what needed to be done now, Carey said that the Library’s mission statement needs to be added and the date needs to be extended, but the plan is providing good guidance. She would like to keep it until there’s a new director who may have a different approach. Some of the trustees said they would like to be able to quickly see what progress was made and what was accomplished, as well as what things were not done, so they could be assessed. Carey indicated that the managers had wrestled with how to reflect progress visually. Logsdon stated they have versions of the plan with checkmarks, circles, and notes throughout; they could possibly be coded as some sort of checklist to help track the strategic priorities. 4 Briese stated that he had disliked this format initially, but it does seem to be effective for the Library and, having been through all the meetings, he is able to put the examples to the plan. There was further discussion about strategic plans versus action plans, clarification that Phases 1, 2, and 3 were related to priority rather than chronology, and conversation about how to move forward. It was agreed that staff would work on making strategic progress more visual and bring something back to the next meeting. Newspaper Digitization Services and Funding: Moved by Briese, seconded by Barchman, to adopt a resolution recommending that City Council approve the purchase of newspaper digitization services from Advantage Preservation of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in an amount not to exceed $68,400 using funds available from the 2017/18 and 2018/19 Memoranda of Understanding with the Ames Public Library Friends Foundation and unrestricted general donations. Carey explained that APLFF enters into a Memorandum of Understanding each year to reimburse the library for certain services it receives, and the funds are then available for the library to use. She said that she and Logsdon have been trying to accomplish this digitization for many years and a key goal was to have searching available not only from within the library, but also remotely. Now that that possible, Carey said the genealogists in the community would be very pleased, students would make use of it, and the Historical Society would find it helpful. Staff’s proposal, outlined in the briefing paper, was to spend $33,575 this year by using the $31,282.82 received from the 2017/18 Memorandum of Understanding with Ames Public Library Friends Foundation along with $2,292.18 in unrestricted donations, and to use a similar combination of funds in FY19 to complete the project. Vote on Motion: 7-0. (Unanimous approval.) Resolution No. 2018-L012 adopted. Innovative Interfaces Maintenance Agreement for 2018/19: Moved by Marshall, seconded by Wang, to adopt a resolution approving renewal of the Annual Maintenance Agreement for the Polaris ILS with Innovative Interfaces, Inc. for fiscal year 2018/19 at a cost of $28,554.35. Carey said Polaris is the software that pulls all library operations together. She said there are four major vendors, each of whom offers a variety of products. Polaris was purchased just prior to moving back to the permanent facility and the firm has been very responsive. Vote on Motion: 7-0. (Unanimous approval.) Resolution No. 2018-L013 adopted. Nationwide Office Care Contract for 2018/19: Moved by Butler, seconded by Briese, to adopt a resolution approving renewal of the contract for custodial services for fiscal year 2018/19 with Nationwide Office Care in the amount of $94,100.86. Carey explained that the facilities maintenance person does not have time to take care of all the custodial functions. Nationwide personnel are doing a good job of keeping the building clean, safe, and new looking. They also help with programming needs and APL is pleased with the service. Vote on Motion: 7-0. (Unanimous approval.) Resolution No. 2018-L014 adopted. 5 Videography of June 21 and July 19 Meetings: Carey said that Library Board Meetings were first televised during the building project, and filming was planned for the duration of it. One question to be asked now is whether or not the board wants to continue having the meetings filmed. Carey said that some of the issues are staffing, equipment, and data that indicates Library Board Meetings are not very often viewed. Channel 12 Coordinator Derek Crisler came into the room to answer questions. He explained that the Library’s equipment (the Flypack) does not produce broadcast quality recordings, the videos are only available from the City’s website on demand, and data indicates there are only about two viewer hits per meeting. Moved by Raman, seconded by Wang, that there not be Board Meeting videography on June 21 or July 19 and that a decision be made at the August meeting about continued recording. When asked, Crisler stated that there weren’t any programs with fewer hits than the Library Board meetings, and he felt he would have feedback from the public in time for the Board to make a decision about future recording in August. He added that the Flypack has not been upgraded since it was purchased. He said there might come a time when it will become nearly impossible to do these meeting without added expense or investment; however, the option to hold meetings in the Council Chambers is always open when there is a desire for live recording. Vote on Motion: 7-0. Motion approved. Committee Appointments: Kluesner indicated that the President had sent out new committee rosters via e-mail. His appointments were as follows: Art: Sarah Barchman, John Linch, Toni Wang Budget & Finance: Kyle Briese, Roger Kluesner Director Evaluation: Joanne Marshall, D. Raj Raman, Roger Kluesner APLFF Board of Directors: Mavis Butler, Charles Glatz Trustee Comments: Kluesner said that the Board will not have a quorum for the May 17 meeting and he advised the trustees to watch for e-mail or a poll to help determine possible dates. Butler welcomed Trustees Raman and Wang. Briese welcomed the new trustees, as well. He said he was impressed with the strategic plan process and progress. He said it definitely flipped him from where he was, but as an idealist, he sees a lot of idealism coming out in it and being achieved. He congratulated the team. Marshall said she loved hearing about the Library’s work. Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned by consent 8:49 p.m. The next regular meeting will be on Thursday, May 17, 2018, at 7:00 p.m., in the Dale H. Ross Board Room, Ames Public Library, 515 Douglas Avenue.