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HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Ames Public Library Board of Trustees Minutes of the Regular Meeting 11/16/2017 Ames Public Library Board of Trustees Minutes of the Regular Meeting November 16, 2017 The Ames Public Library (APL) Board of Trustees met in regular session on Thursday, December 21, 2017, in the Dale H. Ross Board Room, 515 Douglas Avenue, with Acker, Briese, Kluesner, Linch, and Rohret in attendance. (Butler arrived shortly after the meeting started.) Barchman, Glatz and Marshall were excused. Library Director Carey and Customer Accounts Services Manager Briseño were also present. Call to Order: Board President Acker called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Consent Agenda: Moved by Linch, seconded by Briese, to approve the following items on the consent agenda: 1) Motion approving minutes of the regular meeting of October 23, 2017 2) Motion approving payment of claims 10/1/2017 – 10/31/2017 Vote on Motion: 5-0. Carried unanimously. Public Forum: None. Butler arrived at 7:01 p.m. Administrative Staff Report: Carey updated the Board on the hiring of several interns, said interviews for the Operations Coordinator position are just ending, and applications are being accepted through November 27 for a new Librarian to fill the position vacated by Justin Armbruster, who recently accepted a position in Ankeny. Carey said that preliminary budgets were submitted to the City yesterday; further work will be done on them after Thanksgiving. She said this year’s proposed adjusted budget is lower than the amount adopted, partly because of salary savings from open positions. The request for next year, however, is about 3.8% above this year’s adopted amount. The Story County Board of Supervisors met on November 15 and Carey said the Story County Librarians reported to them as a group. She said the Supervisors continue to see library services as important for residents and she was asked to convey the Board’s appreciation for Ames’ willingness two years ago to alter the funding formula for the benefit of all the other cities. Carey stated that the WOW Wall was unveiled on November 15 and is now “wowing” people. She said the lights are appealing—very impressive at night—and children are giving the features a good workout. Carey expressed thanks to the donors: the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust; the Kinney-Lindstrom Foundation, and Ames Public Library Friends Foundation (APLFF). In other news, Carey related that: • five new internal teams are at work; • Small Talk started into its third year, and the initial phase of research will wind up during the 2018 spring semester; • programming opportunities will be available again in conjunction with the ISU Lectures Program; 2 • Carey recently visited with the Friends and Foundation groups of the Kirkendall Library in Ankeny because they are considering a merger; • a new display case was purchased and two staff members have been working on getting bags, t-shirts and greeting cards on hand before the holidays. Calendars for reading enthusiasts are also available for sale. APLFF Report: Trustee Butler stated that APLFF met November 9. The Board heard reports and learned that receipts from the most recent donation solicitation have reached the 25% mark. Butler said that Jennifer Garst has been providing education on financial matters recently, and the topic this month was equity. Book sales brought in over $11,000 last month. Butler remarked that the book sales are important fundraisers, but also serve to spread much goodwill. She related that an individual recently presented book sale volunteers with a $150 donation and requested that the next 150 customers each be allowed to pick out a $1 book. APLFF will soon start marketing bags featuring a design from the Youth Services mural. Board Education: Customer Account Services Manager Tracy Briseño addressed the board on the topic of Assisting Customers in Being Successful and Responsible Library Users, especially in relation to the Circulation and Customer Accounts Policy and charges of fines and fees. She reported that 93% of APL’s customers have accounts in good standing (they manage their accounts well and owe less than $20) and 63% owe nothing. Noting that that a primary tenet of librarianship is equal access, Briseño said that borrowing time limits and overdue fines encourage borrowers to return materials so that others can use them, but APL staff works hard to help non-compliant customers restore their status to good standing, rather than risk driving them away by imposing sanctions. She spoke about various ways APL staff works with customers to overcome barriers and find solutions to problems so the result is that the Library gets back everything it really wants—materials, amounts owed, and responsible customers. Circulation and Customer Accounts Policy: There was discussion about the existing policy— the various account types and their purposes, the fees APL charges, where sensitive conversations take place, and the concept of eliminating fines. Carey said that some libraries are experimenting with having no overdue fines, but it appears that there is not only a significant reduction in revenue, but also an increase in lost materials and the amount of staff time that ends up being involved in managing money. The trustees were invited to suggest changes they would like to see so that staff can incorporate them into a draft for review in the next couple months. LED Lighting Proposal: Carey said she wanted to present this idea before going into budget discussions with City Administration. She said that light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs are being considered, now that the bulbs installed during the construction period are starting to need to be replaced. Where LED bulbs were tested, Carey said staff liked the quality of the light. The facilities supervisor also found that it will only take five LED tubes to replace six fluorescent tubes in some of the fixtures. The LED bulbs cost about the same amount, but last longer and draw less power than the fluorescent type. Cost analysis shows that, if all the existing tubes could be replaced with LEDs, the Library would receive a return on the investment through lower lighting bills within six months. Carey said she is also interested in continuing to move toward more environmentally sound practices—she does not want to rest on the laurels of having attained Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certification. 3 When asked what would be done with the existing bulbs, Carey said other City departments could use them until failure and then they’d go to Resource Recovery. She said the ballasts would be disabled because they draw electricity whether or not they contain bulbs. Carey stated that installation could be done in the staff areas during regular working hours, but would be done in public areas only when the building is not open. She also said the Parks and Recreation Department may have some staff the Library could “borrow” to help with the project. Moved by Kluesner, seconded by Briese, to endorse the lighting initiative, to applaud the efforts of Bo and the rest of the staff, and to propose that the Library move forward with the installation of LED bulbs. Vote on Motion: 6-0. Carried unanimously. APLFF Legacy Campaign: Carey said a SunSmart Solar Initiative is being considered in Ames and the City Council will take action once the Electric Department has 80% backing. She said the purchase of 570 solar packs would offset enough charges to pay for the Library’s LED lighting for the next 20 years. The APLFF Fundraising Committee wondered if the Library Board would endorse a legacy campaign that would allow donors to purchase power packs to help the library become more sustainable, both financially and energy-wise. After discussion, the trustees appeared to be comfortable with further exploration on the part of APLFF, but said they would like to see how the endeavor would help take the library “from good to great” and how it would connect with the Library’s priorities and strategic plan, to gain some assurance that the City would not simply reduce the Library’s operating budget, and have a determination about how complicated it would be to sell Power Packs to prospective donors. Carey asked if the Board were comfortable with her asking, as part of the budget process, if the Library could use electricity savings to buy power packs. There was no objection. APLFF Support Allocation: Carey asked the Board if the monies included in the APLFF funding request approved last April could be reallocated. She explained that some of last year’s funding for Project Smyles was not transferred before the end of the year and it’s needed now to cover wages. Since the shared position with ISU is still under consideration, there will be cost savings from that $44,000 request. Carey said she would also like to be allowed to shift some amounts to cover costs associated with the summer food program. The trustees acknowledged the need for some flexibility with APLFF funds, since they are the “enhancement piece” and should be associated with opportunity, but said they would not want to lose track of them. Following discussion, it was agreed that the Board was conceptually in agreement with a realignment of funds, but would like to see the numbers. Trustee Comments: Briese stated that he loves participating in a group like this, where there is a high level of integrity and enough trust to be able to discuss “squishy” topics. Acker noted that all the trustees had been appointed by Mayor Campbell, whose term of office will end in December. A reception for her and retiring City Council Member Peter Orazem will be held next month. Acker said she hopes that Mayor-elect Haila and incoming Council Member David Martin will be able to tour the Library and become well acquainted with it. Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned by consent at 8:28 p.m. 4 The next regular meeting will be on Thursday, December 21, 2017, at 7:00 p.m., in the Dale H. Ross Board Room, Ames Public Library, 515 Douglas Avenue.