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HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Ames Public Library Board of Trustees Minutes of the Regular Meeting 11/17/2016Ames Public Library Board of Trustees Minutes of the Regular Meeting November 17, 2016 The Ames Public Library (APL) Board of Trustees met in regular session on Thursday, November 17, 2016 in the Dale H. Ross Board Room, 515 Douglas Avenue, with Acker, Barchman, Briese, Butler, Campbell, Linch, Rohret and Library Director Carey in attendance. Glatz and Marshall were excused. Call to Order: Board President Acker called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. and indicated that Board Education would be moved to the top of the agenda to allow the Iowa State University (ISU) students to return to campus by 6:30 p.m. ISU Department of Education Learning Community Collaboration: Laura Butcher and Amy Raymond, peer mentors in the ISU Learning Community for students in the field of education, spoke about the Bookland activities they had helped freshman students conduct the previous Sunday and Monday at the Library. To prepare for the event, the future teachers each selected a book and created fun components for small groups to go along with the reading. There was a great deal of enthusiasm from the children who attended, and each child who visited all the stations could select a book to take home. Butcher and Raymond said the ISU students were pleased to have this fun opportunity—it gave them experience in lesson planning, working directly with children and dealing with last minute changes, and it added to their resumes. The peer mentors thanked Youth Services Manager Jerri Heid for her assistance in the classroom, with pre-planning, and in executing the event. Library Director Carey noted that joint activities such as Bookland are helping to strengthen the relationship between the Library and the University. She said Bookland was formerly carried out at APL by volunteers, but the students have made it a much richer and more interactive experience than the Library could do on its own. Carey added that the Education Learning Community won a campus award last year for its previous presentation of Bookland. Consent Agenda: Moved by Linch, seconded by Rohret, to approve the following items on the consent agenda: 1) Resolution No. 2016-L041 accepting donations: a) From the American Legion Auxiliary Ames Unit #37 for books .................. $50.00 b) From Anonymous ........................................................................................ $2.00 c) From Tim Buffington for Project Smyles .................................................... $16.75 d) From Renate Dellmann ............................................................................. $50.00 e) In memory of Katie Finn Milleman from Vikki Morain for a book ................ $20.00 f) In memory of Mary Jane Pearson from Cora Mondloch ........................... $100.00 g) In memory of Bill Weisshaar from Anonymous .......................................... $20.00 2) Motion approving minutes of the regular meeting of October 20, 2016 3) Motion approving minutes of the special meeting of November 3, 2016 4) Motion approving payment of claims 10/1/2016 – 10/31/2016 Vote on Motion: 5-0. Approved unanimously and adopted. Public Forum: None. Ames Public Library Friends Foundation (APLFF) Report: Butler reported on the November 10 APLFF meeting. It included the Library Director’s report on programs and the Development 2 Officer’s report on her goals and progress. Butler said a year-end fundraising letter will be mailed in two weeks to 11,000 prospective donors. Teen Advisory Group activities in the last month included a game night, a teen drag show, and the purchase of some games for the Teen Space; planning for a yule celebration is now underway. Butler said the APLFF Board reviewed a policy on Financial Controls and Procedures. APLFF financial statements look good and a $100,000 CD was purchased at a new bank. She stated that Jane Johnson resigned from the Board and her position as chair of the Sales Committee will be taken by Kathy Kramer. Upcoming book sales will be changed to run from Thursday through Sunday. The Fundraising Committee reported that the last Author Café brought in $1,840 and it is planning another one for next spring. The Beyond Words event netted $13,343.83, which was $10,000 over the goal. Butler said that Kohls provided five volunteers for Beyond Words and, in conjunction with that, will also give $500. A nominating committee will be looking for candidates to fill four potential upcoming Board vacancies. Art Committee Report: No report. Strategic Planning Report: Carey said the Learning Community is a great example of collaboration with ISU that is going well and it has sparked interest from other administrators and teachers. Carey said that she and Adult Services Manager Mary Logsdon recently met with ISU’s Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion, who will be assigning a member of his staff to work with them on some ideas. She and Customer Services Account Manager Tracy Briseño will soon be meeting with the Dean of the Parks Library and an ISU Facilities Manager to work on a pilot project to have the Bookmobile on campus. Carey went on to say that Briseño and Teen Librarian Tanvi Rastogi have been doing high school visits to strengthen the relationship with the Ames school system and plans are underway to take the Bookmobile to Ames High once a month at a time when students may visit during school hours. She stated that new Bookmobile signage will also be going up soon. Adult Literacy tutor training recently began at the Library; Carey said there was a nice turnout of volunteers who are interested in being tutors and 20 potential students have signed up. Administration Report: Carey introduced Andrea Williams, a student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who has been working with staff members in each of the Library’s workgroups this semester. Williams said that she was the former director of Rippey Public Library and has also worked at the library in Boone. She will graduate with a Masters in Library Science degree after completing this 120-hour field study/practicum/internship. Carey then reported on personnel changes, recent programs, the acquisition of on-line language learning software for children called Little Pim, and cross–library continuing education opportunities that APL and Iowa State University’s Parks Library are engaging in. Carey said that City Council approved the Library’s WOW Wall contract and it is hoped that installation will be completed the first week in January. She stated that budget meetings will take place at the end of the month. The adjusted budget for this year is lower than the adopted budget and the increase requested for next year is very reasonable—a situation that Carey felt would allow for discussion about staffing levels. Carey also related news about Small Talk: another graduation was held; new classes will begin in February, after the LENA Foundation re-does the curriculum, training, and books; and grants have recently been awarded by Thiessen’s, United Way, and BooSt. 3 Meeting Room and Programs Policy Discussion: Carey stated that all Library policies have been recently reviewed, so staff will start bringing them forward again as needed. The Meeting Room Policy was being presented because there is a need to address the posting of signs in meeting rooms, particularly those that relate to elections and electioneering, and some which have covered the windows and looked like advertisements. There was discussion about whether or not one group could bump another, how frequently that action was taken, and some of the procedures employed by staff. Carey said that elections take priority over everything. She explained that the Library typically overbooks the space needed for its own programs in advance and releases rooms as plans solidify. Staff always tries to be respectful of bookings that are already made, as does APLFF. Carey said the Library does not meet the needs of all groups—those that want to meet weekly, for example, those engaging in for-profit activities or sales, or those holding private events such as birthday parties or showers. Discussion ensued about a possible inconsistency between the Meeting Room Policy and Programs Policy on fundraising and selling. Carey stated that the Programs Policy allows for sales under some circumstances, as part of a Library program. Staff makes an effort to be sure that people understand the limitations, but she said that questions and dilemmas occasionally arise. As an example, she cited an instance in which rooms were requested for a chess tournament and staff later learned that the group intended to charge for participation. It was agreed that further discussion will take place in December and action on suggested changes will take place in January. Designation of Funds from FY17 Memorandum of Understanding with APLFF: Moved by Rohret, seconded by Barchman, to designate $30,041 in income from the Fiscal Year 2016/17 (FY17) Memorandum of Understanding with Ames Public Library Friends Foundation to cover payroll expenses for interns in fiscal year 2017/18 (FY18). Vote on Motion: 5-0. Resolution No. 2016-L042 approved unanimously and adopted. Carey said last year’s MOU was also designated for intern salaries; Acker noted that this was also APLFF’s choice. Trustee Comments: Butler commented on all the wonderful things going on at the Library, and remarked that when she’s in the auditorium she enjoys watching the passersby and seeing who comes to visit the Library—it feels like a window on the world. Adjournment: Moved by Butler, seconded by Barchman, to adjourn at 6:22 p.m. Vote on Motion: 5-0 . Motion carried unanimously. The next regular meeting will be on Thursday, December 15, 2016, at 7:00 p.m., in the Dale H. Ross Board Room, Ames Public Library, 515 Douglas Avenue.