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HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Ames Public Library Board of Trustees Minutes of the Regular Meeting 12/21/2017Ames Public Library Board of Trustees Minutes of the Regular Meeting December 21, 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, Barchman, Briese, Kluesner, Marshall, and Rohret in attendance. Linch arrived shortly after the call to order. Butler and Glatz were excused. Library Director Carey, Librarian Danielle Ziegler, and Operations Coordinator Mary Morton were also present. Call to Order: Board President Acker called the meeting to order at 6:58 p.m. Consent Agenda: Moved by Marshall, seconded by Rohret, to approve the following items on the consent agenda: 1) Resolution approving donations 2) Motion approving minutes of the regular meeting of November 16, 2017 3) Motion approving payment of claims 11/1/2017 – 11/30/2017 Vote on Motion: 5-0. Carried unanimously. Resolution No. 2017-L026 adopted. Public Forum: None. Linch arrived at 7:00 p.m. Ames Public Library Friends Foundation (APLFF) Report: Trustee Acker stated that the APLFF Sales Committee brought in $12,000 in November; fundraising continues with a focus on an endowment campaign; an Author Café featuring Rekha Basu and Kathie Obradovich of the Des Moines Register is scheduled for April 15; an update to the APLFF website is underway; the Teen Advisory Group is working on a January 21 Yule Ball and a silent disco. Administrative Staff Report: Carey introduced the two staff members (Ziegler and Morton) who were present and provided some staff updates: Cathy Van Brocklin will be retiring at the end of the month; a new librarian was hired to fill Justin Armbruster’s position and he will begin January 2; one half-time and one three-quarter-time Library Assistant positions are now open. Carey said there are also openings for parent educators in the Small Talk Program and an opening in Project Smyles is available because Pat Spangler accepted a position with the Ames Community School District. The four staff teams (Internal Communications, Pay Study, Welcoming/Inclusivity, and Innovation) are meeting and will report at Staff Development Day. Carey said that the first budget meeting with City staff was held. The Library received the go- ahead to begin the light-emitting diode (LED) bulb replacement project, was able to add 16 hours of custodial work to the contract, and will be able to combine savings from the lighting project and the Operations Coordinator position to create a new half-time position for an assistant to the Community Relations Specialist. The budget team will meet with the City Manager next week. Carey said she and Acker gave incoming City officials John Haila and David Martin a tour of the facility. A going-away reception for Peter Orazem and Mayor Ann Campbell was held at the Library. She also reported that former Library Board member Harry Weiss had passed away earlier in the month. Carey attended the funeral on behalf of the Library and ordered a collection of jazz greats in his honor. 2 Carey stated that APLFF recently received a letter from the Boston Foundation advising that an anonymous donor has set up a $250,000 endowment with APLFF as the beneficiary. A check for about $10,700 also came, with an explanation that the funds are to be used to support the large print collection and that a similar amount will be sent each year in May. Finally, Carey showed examples of the note cards, t-shirts, calendars, and bags that are being sold at the Welcome Desk. She said staff is planning to order onesies and is taking note of any requests for adult-size t-shirts. Board Education: Youth Services Librarian Danielle Ziegler spoke on the topic of gift books. She said that staff tries to help customers at this time of year by recommending materials for specific ages. They may refer people to the “river” that runs across the home screen in the Library’s catalog, share book lists that are available at the service desks and on line, or make personal recommendations. Ziegler distributed a sample suggestion list and showed some of the books she favors. Circulation and Customer Accounts Policy: Proposed changes to the policy were discussed. When asked if the Legal Department had reviewed the registration or account application forms, Carey said she didn’t think the forms had changed very much in the last several years, but that the language about implied consent had been reviewed. The schedule of fines and charges is approved by City Council. There was also discussion about the difference in identification requirements between borrower accounts and computer use accounts. Operations Support Coordinator Morton explained that the requirement for computer use cards is more lenient because nothing is taken out of the building. Asked about the difference between an Educator Account and an Individual borrower account, Morton stated that educators are allowed a longer check-out period and it generally corresponds to the length of a unit. Library Fines and Charges: No changes were proposed. Approval of Preliminary Budget Requests: Moved by Briese, seconded by Barchman, to approve adjustments to the operating budget for fiscal year 2017/18 and requests for fiscal year 2018/19 as presented/amended. Carey explained the information shown on pages 17 and 18 of the board packet, which she said would be the basis for the discussion with Mr. Schainker next week. He will compare the budget that was adopted last year to the current year adjustments and next year’s requests. Carey noted that the adjusted budget was lower at this point than adopted, so she hopes he will look favorably on the requests (for additional custodial hours, the LED bulb replacement, and another half-time position). The request for next year is just less than a 4% increase. Vote on Motion to approve as presented: 6-0 . Approved unanimously. Resolution No. 2017-L027 adopted. Moved by Kluesner, seconded by Briese, to approve adjustments to the Donations Budgets for fiscal year 2017/18 and proposals for fiscal year 2018/19 as 3 presented/amended. Carey said it’s difficult to anticipate future donations, but staff attempts to make best estimates and adjust as new information is learned and opportunities arise. Vote on Motion to approve as presented: 6-0. Approved unanimously. Resolution No. 2017-L028 adopted. Reallocation of FY18 APLFF Funding: Moved by Rohret, seconded by Barchman, to reallocate expenditure of the $164,500 funding from Ames Public Library Friends Foundation for fiscal year 2017/18 as presented/amended. Vote on Motion to approve as presented: 6-0. Approved unanimously. Resolution No. 2017-L029 adopted. Annual Review of Story County Contract: Moved by Linch, seconded by Briese, to approve continuation of the Library Service Contract for Story County for Fiscal Year 2018/19. Vote on Motion: 6-0. Approved unanimously. Resolution No. 2017-L030 adopted. Trustee Comments: Marshall recommended another gift book: I’m Just No Good at Rhyming: And Other Nonsense for Mischievous Kids. Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned by consent at 7:52 p.m. The next regular meeting will be on Thursday, January 18, 2018, at 7:00 p.m., in the Dale H. Ross Board Room, Ames Public Library, 515 Douglas Avenue.