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HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Ames Public Library Board of Trustees Minutes of the Regular Meeting 12/15/2016 Ames Public Library Board of Trustees Minutes of the Regular Meeting December 15, 2016 The Ames Public Library (APL) Board of Trustees met in regular session on Thursday, December 15, 2016 in the Dale H. Ross Board Room, 515 Douglas Avenue, with Acker, Briese, Butler, Campbell, Linch, Rohret and Library Director Carey in attendance. Barchman, Glatz, and Marshall were excused. Reference Librarian Mike Quinn was also present. Call to Order: Board President Acker called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Consent Agenda: Moved by Butler, seconded by Briese, to approve the following items on the consent agenda: 1) Resolution No. 2016-L043 accepting donations: a) From Alan Maximuk for interlibrary loan expenses ...................................... $50.00 b) In honor of Herb Harmison from Sara Mitchell ............................................ $50.00 c) In memory of Marjorie Davis for books i) Gus and Doris Anderson .................................................................... $25.00 ii) Carol Baker ...................................................................................... $100.00 iii) Chuck and Marlene Bell ..................................................................... $20.00 iv) Barb Bentley .................................................................................... $100.00 v) Kathy and Mark Davis ........................................................................ $35.00 vi) Mike and Karen Eblen ........................................................................ $20.00 vii) Henry & Janet Gray............................................................................ $15.00 viii) Jeff and Julie Larson Keller ................................................................ $25.00 ix) Kathy Shaver ..................................................................................... $25.00 x) John Smith ......................................................................................... $25.00 d) In memory of Frances Vaughn from Anita Nichols ...................................... $20.00 2) Motion approving minutes of the regular meeting of November 17, 2016 3) Motion approving payment of claims 11/1/2016 – 11/31/2016 Vote on Motion: 5-0. Approved unanimously and adopted. Public Forum: None. Ames Public Library Friends Foundation (APLFF) Report: Trustee Butler reported on the December APLFF meeting. She said the new Development Director presented a proposal regarding recognition for donors. The Board felt the matter needed more study and would like to form a new ad hoc committee with members of the APLFF and Library Boards. Butler said the Finance Committee advised that over $100,000 was left in donations to the Library Renewal Campaign, and there was discussion about the possibility of earmarking those monies for the Library’s next major capital campaign. She said the Sales Committee reported earnings in excess of $6,000 in the last month. A press release and holiday message to donors will be going out this month from the Marketing Committee. Library Director Carey added that income from this year’s annual fundraising campaign has exceeded $22,000. The goal was $35,000. She also stated that Fundraising Committee is selling 2017 Book Lover’s Calendars for $10. 2 Strategic Planning Report: Carey said that collaboration with Iowa State University (ISU) is progressing. Bicycle delivery between APL and the Parks Library has resumed and a Bookmobile a stop will be added in January on Thursdays between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. outside the Hub. A new monthly Bookmobile stop during a specific class period at Ames High School is also being planned. ISU student displays hanging in the Library’s vestibule are evidence of another recent collaboration with the University and Wheatsfield Grocery. The project focused on recycling and reusing materials and Carey helped with the end-of-semester evaluations. Carey asked if the Board would support the Library hosting a similar project next semester. One trustee noted that the Art Committee had talked about having changing exhibits in the vestibule, but the intent was not to give one group free reign in perpetuity. Other remarks included a desire for the displays to be more aesthetic, for text or explanations to be placed at a readable height, that installations not be burdensome to staff, and that the Display Spaces Policy be considered. Carey also spoke about the strategic goal of participating in and promoting special community events. She said APL worked with Ames Human Relations Commission and Ames Progressive Alliance on the “Inclusive Ames” event held November 29. Carey said it was attended by over 300 persons and 280 stayed to participate in small group discussions. The Elks Lodge was used as an overflow area. She said the three groups are planning follow-up sessions. “Talk Race” activities are being planned for January 28, Carey said. In order to help the community get the most out of Ta-Nehisi Coates’ presentation at ISU on January 30, the Library will include a panel discussion about Coates’ book Between the World and Me in the morning, a keynote challenge address over lunch, and small group discussions in the afternoon. Related programming for teens on January 28 is being orchestrated by Teen Librarian Tanvi Rastogi. Carey said Rastogi contacted Kekla Magoon, author of How It Went Down, a young adult novel which brings out the varying perspectives of different people who have witnessed the same event. Following a traditional author presentation and book signing, Magoon will participate in a teen-oriented panel discussion on race. Carey said the planning team has worked closely on this with Dr. Reg Stewart of the ISU Office of Diversity and Inclusion. Administration Report: Carey said the initial budget discussion with City Administration went very well. The Library requested a three percent increase for collection materials and support for adding custodial hours, covering overtime costs, and continuing the intern program. A request to increase the Client Support Technician position to full time will go to City Council next Tuesday. The Story County Library Association met with the Board of Supervisors this month, and Carey said that she was asked to convey the Supervisors’ appreciation for the Board’s support of last year’s funding reallocation proposal. Carey stated that Valerie Donnell, who was interested in lightening her load and no longer supervising, was hired to fill the vacant Clerk position in Customer Account Services. Carey said that Donnell’s move results in an opening in the Operations Services Supervisor position, which will be evaluated along with the planned two-year review of the reorganization. Carey said the Library’s Human Resources Interns presented the results of the recent staff survey yesterday and will present to the Library Board in January. She also stated that installation of the WOW Wall may begin as early as next week; it is likely to take longer than was earlier expected because the lights have to be ordered and shipped. She displayed a 3 sample of the pegboard pieces. In response to a question, she said the play features of the wall are intended to hold interest for children up to ages seven or eight. Carey explained that this meeting was not being recorded for television because of finals week scheduling conflicts. Discussion ensued on pros and cons of video recording board meetings. Carey concluded by reporting that Small Talk received a BooSt grant to provide books and snacks for program participants. She said APL was also recently advised that it is to be the inaugural recipient of a $10,000 award and $1,000 in books, in recognition of the innovation, programming, and collaborative efforts that are going into Small Talk. More details will be made public in January. Trustee Campbell asked if staff could determine what percent the City allocates the Library out of the budget. Board Education: Reference Librarian Mike Quinn spoke about the Person In Charge (PIC) Team, which was formed to address safety and security issues and have more people available to cover incidents of misconduct in the Library’s larger space. He explained that the downside of assigning that role to a Director or Assistant Director is that they are not around all the time. In contrast, the PIC Team is made up of 12 people—managers, librarians, and a couple library leaders—who can cover all open hours. Quinn said that when a person has the PIC phone, he/she responds to any calls, and staff members know to call the PIC phone for an immediate response whenever assistance is needed. He explained that the PIC is also responsible for making sure staff has conducted sweeps and for closing the building at the end of each day. Quinn went on to explain how communication takes place among the PICs to keep them all informed about issues that have arisen. He said the team also meets monthly to talk about issues, what has gone well, and what could be done better. He said this practice fosters consistency in the entire team’s approach to problems and in the handling of procedures. Policy Review: Discussion was held about proposed changes to the Meeting Room and Study Room Policy, with the trustees indicating that the policy should make it clear that signs may not obstruct visibility into a room and that whoever puts them up must remove them. They also asked that another word be substituted for “advertising,” since APL generally bans sales. Questions about how staff implements the Programs Policy were also discussed. Carey said that a decision to partner with community groups may be influenced by several factors, such as adequate staffing level, a topic’s alignment with the strategic plan, or the content of other recent programs. As for meetings scheduled by outside groups, Carey said that members of staff exercise discretion and make sure groups understand that meetings must be open to the public, but they don’t always know what each group’s purpose is. One trustee cited a recent occurrence on the ISU campus when the Memorial Union requested that a potentially contentious group provide additional security and asked if the Library had ever considered or felt the need to hire security. Carey said that room capacity has been the most problematic issue; the last Democratic caucus, for example, presented a safety risk (because more people tried to attend than the room could hold), but it was not a security risk. When asked about the possibility that counter groups might show up in protest of certain topics, Carey said she handles each situation on a case-by-case basis. There have been times when she said she has talked to the police department in advance to provide them the background 4 and have backup on patrol, but extra security has never been required. A trustee asked if it would be appropriate to add a sentence such as, “If the Library Director deems that, in the interest of public safety, additional security is required for an event, the cost of such security would be borne by the users.” Carey said she would relay the Board’s comments to staff. Operating Budget - FY17 Adjustments and FY18 Requests: Moved by Rohret, seconded by Campbell, to adopt a resolution authorizing staff to submit adjustments to the operating budget for fiscal year 2016/17 and requests for fiscal year 2017/18 as presented/amended. Carey explained the worksheets, noting that the Library doesn’t have much control over revenue, though it serves to offset the amount of funding needed from the City. On the expense side, Carey said the biggest need is for more staff; nothing could be added now without more personnel. Vote on the budget as presented: 5-0. Resolution No. 2016-L044 approved unanimously and adopted. Donations Budget - FY17 Adjustments and FY18 Proposals: Moved by Briese, seconded by Campbell, to adopt a resolution authorizing staff to submit adjustments to the Donations Budget for fiscal year 2016/17 and proposals for fiscal year 2017/18 as presented/amended. Carey said there is a lot of guesswork involved with these budgets because the receipt of grants and income from donations is largely unknown. The expenditures reflect an attempt to go back to see how much money is available to spend for various purposes and to make it available. As always, Carey said, there will be an opportunity to make amendments in the spring. Vote on the budget as presented: 5-0. Resolution No. 2016-L045 approved unanimously and adopted. Contract for Library Service for Story County: Moved by Linch, seconded by Rohret, to adopt a resolution approving continuation of the Library Service Contract for Story County for fiscal year 2017/18 as presented. Vote on motion: 5-0. Resolution No. 2016-L046 approved unanimously and adopted. Ad Hoc Donor Recognition Policy Committee: Acker stated that she would like one or more trustees to work with representatives of the APLFF Board on issues related to recognition of donors. Trustee Briese offered to help. Library Board Regular Meetings: There was discussion about the possibility of holding the next few regular meetings at a different time or on a different day. No better alternative seemed apparent, however, and no action was taken. Trustee Comments: Briese extended congratulations to the Library on winning the $10,000 award and said he looks forward to continued great work. Butler distributed fundraising fliers on behalf of APLFF. 5 Campbell complimented Carey on her great leadership and said he appreciated her ability to accommodate Valerie Donnell’s wishes. Acker noted that three board members’ terms will expire next spring. Two (Briese and Marshall) are eligible for reappointment, but one (Campbell) is not. She encouraged people to urge good candidates to apply. She said the Director Evaluation Committee (herself, Glatz, and Rohret) is starting its work and the Nominating Committee needs to begin in January. Campbell agreed to serve on the latter committee and Acker said she would work on completing the roster. Adjournment: Moved by Butler, seconded by Linch, to adjourn at 8:55 p.m. Vote on Motion: 5-0. Motion carried unanimously. The next regular meeting will be on Thursday, January 19, 2017, at 7:00 p.m., in the Dale H. Ross Board Room, Ames Public Library, 515 Douglas Avenue.