Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Ames Public Library Board of Trustees Minutes of the Regular Meeting 01/19/2017Ames Public Library Board of Trustees Minutes of the Regular Meeting January 19, 2017 The Ames Public Library (APL) Board of Trustees met in regular session on Thursday, January 19, 2017 in the Dale H. Ross Board Room, 515 Douglas Avenue, with Acker, Barchman, Butler, Campbell, Glatz, Marshall, and Library Director Carey in attendance. Briese arrived later. Linch and Rohret were excused. Call to Order: Board President Acker called the meeting to order at 7:01 p.m. Consent Agenda: Moved by Glatz, seconded by Barchman, to approve the following items on the consent agenda: 1) Resolution No. 2017-L001 accepting donations: a) From Worldly Goods for Project Smyles ...................................................... $358.65 b) In honor of Mrs. Pam Sibbel from Sanjay Stanley .......................................... $25.00 c) In memory of Lauren Kernan Smith from Norman and Beth Cheville ............. $50.00 d) In memory of Marcia Wiley from Ginger Quay & Julia Waggoner ................... $70.00 e) In memory of Marjorie Davis from Margaret & Delano Jespersen .................. $50.00 f) In memory of Susan Anwar from: i) Ames Lab ............................................................................................... $30.00 ii) Mary Frahm ............................................................................................ $20.00 iii) Carol Fuchs ............................................................................................ $50.00 iv) Karen Thompson .................................................................................... $20.00 v) Maria and Michael Tringides ................................................................... $50.00 2) Motion approving minutes of the regular meeting of December 15, 2016 3) Motion approving payment of claims 12/1/2016 – 12/31/2016 Vote on Motion: 5-0. Approved unanimously and adopted. Public Forum: None. Ames Public Library Friends Foundation (APLFF) Report: Trustee Butler stated that the Board met on January 12. It learned that the winter campaign brought in $37,967 in donations from 400 households. The Teen Advisory Group, which will be hosting its Annual Yule Ball on January 21, was commended for its high level of involvement and programming. A new Document Retention and Destruction Policy was approved. The Finance Committee met with Julie Waters for a review of APLFF’s insurance and is working hard to make sure that donor intent is honored. The Sales Committee reported income of approximately $4,200 in December and will be offering free pocket paperbacks the third weekend of each month. The Fundraising Committee is working on a spring Author Café and working on expanding its use of electronic communications for holiday greetings and other announcements. Butler also said that former Library Trustee Jennie LeGates was approved to replace Jane Johnson on the Board. Director Evaluation Committee: Acker stated that the committee (Acker, Glatz, and Rohret) had held its first meeting and sent a Director Evaluation form out to Carey’s direct reports and the City Manager. The forms are to be completed and returned by January 30. Strategic Planning Report: Carey advised the Board of the status of some of the strategic activities, including: • the grand opening of the bookmobile stop on campus, which took place on January 12; 2 • a new bookmobile stop at Ames High School and plans underway to add one at Ames Middle School; • construction on the WOW Wall, the physical elements of which are up; and • work on augmenting staff, including continued progress with the Intern Program, the possibility of having two AmeriCorps volunteers for summer and fall, and hopes that the Library’s helper from a federal job program for seniors will be able to continue on. The trustees were interested in knowing how the core competencies would be put to use and expressed interest in learning more about them at a future meeting. Administration Report: Carey stated that a lot of effort has been put into the “Talk Race” program that will be held on January 28 to help people get more out of the upcoming appearance of Ta-Nehisi Coates at Iowa State. Structured opportunities will allow participants to explore issues of race and start conversations. “Talk Race” was a collaborative effort involving the Library, Ames Human Relations Commission, Ames Progressive Alliance, the ISU Office of Diversity, NAACP, and RunDSM. Carey said that she and Kay Marner will be going to the American Library Association Midwinter Conference in Atlanta on January 20, where they will accept an Innovative Library Award for the Small Talk program. She said a press release will be issued later in the week. Carey updated the trustees on personnel matters, noting that she has been involved in interviewing for Library interns and a new Assistant City Attorney. She said interviews are being scheduled for someone to fill the Adult Services Library Assistant position and the two other open positions are on hold for the time being because the City’s Human Resources Department is currently short staffed. The Library’s final budget meeting with City Administration took place earlier in the month, and Carey said the City Manager thanked the trustees for their participation in the process. He was pleased that the Library’s adjusted budget was lower than adopted and that the request for next year is reasonable. Carey said the requests will be presented to City Council on February 7. Briese arrived at 7:15 p.m. Second Quarter Financial Reports: Trustee Briese directed attention to the charts on page 13 of the packet. He said three-quarters of the Library’s expenditures support people, as the pie chart shows; the bar chart indicates that halfway through the year the budget is about half spent; and the line graph reveals some seasonal trends in spending. He stated that the Budget and Finance Committee had met with staff the previous Friday and all operations look positive. Board Education: Acker said the staff survey presentation will take place at a later date. Meeting Rooms and Study Rooms Policy: Moved by Briese, seconded by Butler, to adopt a resolution approving revisions to the Meeting Rooms and Study Rooms Policy as presented/amended. It was noted that language had been added about signage, as requested, and that after discussion was held in December, it was not felt that there was a need to add anything more about scheduling priorities. Carey stated that the Management Team had discussed the additional bullet point under Conduct and Liability (pertaining to added security and payment for 3 it) that had been suggested. She said staff recommends not including it because it would be very difficult to determine when to charge without displaying any bias or discrimination. It would also be hard to apply that section of policy consistently without major changes to existing procedures. When asked if a group had ever been denied the right to reserve the room because of the nature of an event, Carey said only if it was a business solicitation. In further discussion, Carey pointed out that if there were concerns about potential problems related to a Library program, a discussion about having paid security would take place in advance, regardless of whether the Library or the program partner paid for it. In addition, if there were a non-Library program for which she felt there should be security, she would prefer to have the Library cover the cost than to risk being discriminatory by making that request of one group but not another. Moved by Glatz, seconded by Barchman, to strike the proposed new line in the final bullet in the Conduct and Liability section of the policy. Vote on Motion. 6-0-1 (Voting yes: Acker, Barchman, Briese, Butler, Glatz, Marshall; Abstaining: Campbell.) Vote on Main Motion as amended: 7-0. Resolution No. 2017-L002 approved unanimously and adopted. Programs Policy: The Programs Policy was reviewed; no changes were necessary. Display Spaces Policy: Carey invited discussion about the Display Spaces Policy, which had been referenced last month. She stated that the Art Exhibit Spaces section may need to be made broader, if student projects are to be displayed. The trustees noted that the policy does not state who is to put up exhibits and indicated that they do not want installation to overly impose on staff time. Staff will work on some revisions for the Board to consider in January. Revised Budget Requests: Moved by Briese, seconded by Glatz, to adopt a resolution approving the revised budget request for fiscal year 2017/18. Vote on motion: 6-0. Resolution No. 2017-L003 approved unanimously and adopted. Agreement Between Ames Public Library Board of Trustees and APLFF: Moved by Briese, seconded by Campbell, to adopt a resolution approving the revised agreement between Ames Public Library Board of Trustees and Ames Public Library Friends Foundation as presented/amended. There was discussion about proposed changes and certain concerns were raised. Moved by Glatz, seconded by Barchman, to table the motion until language stating that APLFF will maintain its 501(c)(3) tax status and have regular financial reviews is included and the document has had a legal review. Vote on motion: 6-0. Unanimous. The matter was postponed temporarily. Book Sale Agreement with APLFF: Moved by Briese, seconded by Marshall, to adopt a resolution approving the updated book sale agreement between Ames Public Library Friends Foundation and Ames Public Library Board of Trustees as presented/amended. 4 Carey said the major proposed change is to address an issue that came up at the state level about libraries passing public property on to Friends Groups which resulted in a legal statute providing for the sale of withdrawn library books. Vote on motion: 6-0. Resolution No. 2016-L004 approved unanimously and adopted. Appointment of Nominating Committee: Acker stated that Al Campbell and Joanne Marshall had agreed to be members of this committee; a slate will be presented in February. Trustee Comments: Butler expressed amazement at the level of programming the Library is involved in. She also shared an article she had seen about literacy outreach and the recent Bookland event. Adjournment: Moved by Glatz, seconded Barchman, to adjourn at 8:12 p.m. Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion carried unanimously. The next regular meeting will be on Thursday, February 16, 2017, at 7:00 p.m., in the Dale H. Ross Board Room, Ames Public Library, 515 Douglas Avenue.