The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About~Master - Ames Public Library Board of Trustees Minutes of the Regular Meeting 10/23/2017 Ames Public Library Board of Trustees Minutes of the Regular Meeting October 23, 2017 The Ames Public Library (APL) Board of Trustees met in regular session on Monday, October 23, 2017 in the Dale H. Ross Board Room, 515 Douglas Avenue, with Acker, Butler, Glatz, Marshall, and Rohret in attendance. Barchman, Briese, Kluesner and Linch were excused. Library Director Carey and Youth Services Manager Heid were also present. Call to Order: President Acker called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. Consent Agenda: Moved by Glatz, seconded by Rohret, to approve the following items on the consent agenda: 1) Resolution accepting donations: a) In honor of Herb Harmison from Sara Mitchell ............................................... $25.00 b) In memory of Bernice Carter from i) The Carter Family ............................................................................... $500.00 ii) Catherine Cody ..................................................................................... $25.00 iii) Teresa Green ........................................................................................ $25.00 iv) Mary L. Johnson ................................................................................... $20.00 v) Dennis and Jean Klute .......................................................................... $25.00 vi) Audrey and Stephen Marley .................................................................. $20.00 vii) Julie Nelson .......................................................................................... $25.00 viii) Patricia and Anthony Terrones .............................................................. $50.00 ix) Emily Weaver ........................................................................................ $50.00 c) In memory of Carla Jacobson from i) Ames Public Library staff ...................................................................... $40.00 ii) Grace and Larry Anderson .................................................................... $10.00 iii) Tom and Betty Barton ........................................................................... $25.00 iv) Jeff and Frances Berger ........................................................................ $25.00 v) Deborah and Mark Blaedel ................................................................... $20.00 vi) Mary Buck ............................................................................................. $50.00 vii) Dorothy Dyer ....................................................................................... $100.00 viii) Marilyn Erickson.................................................................................... $10.00 ix) Jane Jacobson ...................................................................................... $20.00 x) Stacie Jacobson ................................................................................. $100.00 xi) Cherie Klimes ..................................................................................... $160.00 xii) Dévon Lewis ....................................................................................... $100.00 2) Motion approving minutes of the regular meeting of September 21, 2017 3) Motion approving payment of claims 9/1/2017 – 9/30/2017 Vote on Motion: 5-0 (Unanimous approval.) Resolution No. 2017-L025 adopted. Public Forum: None. Financial Reports: Reports covering July through September 2017 were received. Ames Public Library Friends Foundation (APLFF) Report: Trustee Butler stated that the Board heard reports on Small Talk from Dr. Beecher; on financial pledges from Liz Beck; on the 5K Run and Yule Ball plans from the Teen Advisory Group; on the organization’s fiscal status from the Finance Committee; and on Pub Fiction, the most recent Author Café, and plans for an 2 end-of-year mailing from the Fundraising Committee. She said the Board also learned that Sunni Swarbrick will become the Executive Director of the Story County Community Foundation. Carey added that the children’s author café was well attended, but the adult-oriented event was cancelled. She said the next author café will feature Reka Basu and Cathy Brodocovich. Director Evaluation Committee (DEC): Trustee Rohret reported that the DEC met with Carey the previous week. They discussed Strategic Planning and issues related to her upcoming retirement and the search for her successor. He said a timeline has not yet been determined, but Carey has offered to give six months’ notice; her retirement will be handled so that it does not impact the library’s ability to be accredited. The DEC also discussed having an Assistant Director position under the new Director. Rohret said that planning for some overlap and development of the new Assistant Director position description will need to begin sometime in the near future. Acker said it would be important to identify a timeline, review the position description and the Director’s general job duties, and consider what may be needed from an Assistant Director. She indicated that the DEC should continue its work on the evaluation process for the time being, and said she would gather some information about the director search process. She suggested that the Executive Committee may need to meet and may want to consult with the previous Board President, City Management, and the Human Resources Department. Rohret also said there was discussion about accreditation and state funding. Interlibrary Loan reimbursements and Direct State Aid payments are both now tied to accreditation, but it is uncertain what the State’s subsidies will continue to be. The theoretical possibility of doing interlibrary loans without the State Library was discussed. Rohret said Trustee Glatz had spoken to some vendors at the Iowa Library Association (ILA) Conference and Iowa State University Library has gone with a vendor that APL could potentially also work with. Rohret said that if the State Library continues to reduce services, APL may need to be prepared to step in to purchase the means to deliver services the public has come to rely on. Administrative Staff Report: Carey reported that three new Youth Services Interns and a new Human Relations Intern were hired. The Operations Coordinator position is now posted and applications will be accepted until November 1. Carey, Youth Services Manager Heid, and Trustee Glatz spoke about the ILA Conference they had attended the previous week. Carey and Glatz both attended sessions on succession planning/mentoring, although both agreed that they were not as worthwhile as they had hoped they’d be. Glatz said he also attended sessions on fake news and how to recognize it, quick turn-around programming, and poverty in Iowa and its effect on libraries. He also spent time visiting with vendors such as Scholastic, Mobius, Gale, and Advantage, and some representatives of the State Library. Carey and Heid both spoke about how APL could potentially use some of the ideas they picked up. Carey stated that an upgrade to Polaris, the integrated library system, was enabled earlier in the month; budget development is in the works; and the Request for Proposals for the website redesign is almost ready to be issued. She said the goal is to have something new in place by the end of the fiscal year. October programs that Carey highlighted included a successful first Ames Pridefest, which was held October 14 with about 400 people in attendance and vendors all around Bandshell Park. 3 She said Heid presented storytime from the stage and Teen Librarian Tanvi Rastogi represented APL on the planning team. There were also two events celebrating “local kids made good”— a film producer (Cassidy Hall), who drew a crowd of 70-80 people, and All Iowa Reads author Michelle Hoover, who also presented at ILA. Carey noted that more and more community groups are asking to partner with the Library. Plans are being made with the ISU History Department for a year-round series of monthly programs, and with three theater groups: Climate Change Theater; ISU Theater; and Story Theater. The adult tutoring program will also continue. Board Education: Youth Services Manager Jerri Heid spoke about the 2017 summer youth activities at the Library, which centered around the theme “Building a Better World.” Reading programs were offered for all ages (including adults) from June 1 through August 23 and a total of 1.3 million minutes were clocked for reading and participating in related activities. Heid showed photos of the myriad program offerings, special activities, and the end-of-summer dance party. She announced that the 2018 summer theme will be “Libraries Rock.” Heid and her staff were complimented for doing a great job of reaching out to so many different audiences and presenting such a wide variety of programs. Expressions of Concern Policy: Moved by Marshall, seconded by Glatz, to adopt a resolution revising the Expressions of Concern Policy as presented/amended. Vote on Motion to approve revisions as presented: 5-0. Approved unanimously. Resolution No. 2017-L024 adopted. Investment Policy: Moved by Glatz, seconded by Marshall, to retain the Investment without changes. Vote on Motion: 5-0. Approved unanimously. Petition Policy: Moved by Rohret, seconded by Butler, to retain the Petition Policy without changes. Vote on Motion: 5-0. Approved unanimously. Director’s General Job Duties Policy: Acker said that this policy will be up for review in March and the DEC may have some input before then. Trustee Comments: Marshall said she was grateful that Jerri Heid had suggested she apply to become a trustee. Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned by consent at 8:40 p.m. The next regular meeting will be on Thursday, November 16, 2017, at 7:00 p.m., in the Dale H. Ross Board Room, Ames Public Library, 515 Douglas Avenue.