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HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Ames Public Library Board of Trustees Minutes of the Regular Meeting 07/16/2015Ames Public Library Board of Trustees Minutes of the Regular Meeting July 16, 2015 The Ames Public Library (APL) Board of Trustees met in regular session on Thursday, July 16, 2015 in the Dale H. Ross Board Room, Ames Public Library, 515 Douglas Avenue, with Acker, Bradley, Butler, Campbell, Linch, Manus, Rohret, and Stow present. Briese was excused. Library Director Carey; Library staff members Bohlke, Dornink, Duckett, and Heid; and observer Raven Saunders-Duckett were also in attendance. Call to Order: Board President Acker called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Consent Agenda Moved by Stow, seconded by Manus, to adopt a resolution approving the following items on the consent agenda: 1) Donations a) From Suzanne Kelly ..................................................................................... $100.00 b) From Alan Maximuk for Interlibrary Loan ................................................... $150.00 2) Minutes of the regular meeting of June 18, 2015 3) Payment of Claims 6/1/2015 – 6/30/2015 Vote on Motion: 7-0. Approved unanimously; resolution adopted. Public Forum: None. Ames Public Library Friends Foundation (APLFF) Report: Stow stated that a new director, Molly Redenbaugh, was welcomed this month. The Board was advised that over $19,000 has been received as a result of the spring fundraising campaign. The Teen Advisory Group continues to offer extensive programming and to seek sponsorships for the fall zombie walk fundraising event. Stow said that sales in Literary Grounds have been exceptionally strong; over $2,500 was taken in during June. Budget and Finance Committee Report: Linch stated that discussion of the year-end numbers will be postponed until next month, after everything for this fiscal year is posted. Strategic Planning Committee Report: Carey stated that she and Mary Logsdon met with the person assigned to the Library by STATCOM (an Iowa State University group of student statisticians) and they planned how the community survey will be conducted. Carey also met with John Langhorne, the consultant who will handle the public input sessions after school starts in the fall. Library staff members brainstormed to create a list of potential focus groups, and Carey and Logsdon held a meeting with a group of persons having low vision. Art Committee Report: Acker said the she, Stow, and Carey had walked through the building the previous day and identified locations they felt would be enhanced by art. The committee has a listing of artwork the library already owns and is looking for a volunteer to take pictures of the pieces. Art policies from other institutions have also been gathered, but there are many considerations and it will take some time before the committee is ready to propose a policy. Administrative Staff Report: Carey presented Catherine Noble, the Development Director for the APLFF. Carey then presented the following updates: • The City Council approved the Library’s request for an extra .25 full-time employee. 2 • Umbrellas were put up around the Library as part of an ISU Design Class’s project to raise community awareness for the Library. The class also drafted a pamphlet and led a group of 30 on a tour. The umbrellas were intended to symbolize unity and an expression of shading the library from ignorance. Carey said the Library plans to work with the same professor, but a different class, in the fall. • Students in ISU’s Learning Community in Education will do literacy nights for the public the library next fall for their community project. They will be working with Youth Services Supervisor Jerri Heid. • The summer intern supported by ISU will be staying on for the fall semester. • The mental health safety officer from the Ames Police Department joined those who serve as “Persons in Charge,” or PICs, at the Library. The Police Department will work closely with APL to help staff manage difficult situations and improve the overall user experience. • The summer youth volunteers have had a lot of positive public interactions. Some are acting as greeters at the door and handing out lists of activities taking place in the building. Volunteer Coordinator Sarah Bohlke said there has been a favorable response from visitors and the students gain a lot of self-esteem and experience. The volunteer sign-up and training processes have been greatly streamlined and the teens contributed 1,069 volunteer hours in June alone. • There has been a good response from the public on the variety and quality of recent programming. • Since moving back to Douglas Avenue, APL staff members have been sought out for expertise on moving, building, equipment, and more. Recently, the City of Cambridge asked Carey to talk about room naming opportunities. She said it is good to see the reach of the project and for staff to realize how much was learned. • Carey will start her 33rd year at APL tomorrow. American Library Association (ALA) Conference Report: Carey said that she, Jerri Heid, and Mary Logsdon attended the ALA conference in San Francisco at the end of June. She thanked the Board for supporting the opportunity for them to attend a national conference where they are able to bounce ideas off other librarians, attend workshops, tour new libraries, and learn. Carey and Heid spoke about the conference activities they participated in, as well as a side trip they took to visit libraries in San Mateo County that are models for the LENA program. Building Project Update: Carey said another conference call was held last week with SBD, and representatives will come to Ames one more time to address the list of issues with the custom furniture. Enough money has been held out to enable APL to hire a different firm if SBD cannot resolve the problems. City of Ames Purchasing Division Director Karen Server and MSR architect Kate Michaud are working closely with Carey on the matter, and the City’s Legal Department has been kept apprised of the situation. A landscaping meeting was also held last week with the landscape architect, a Samuels Group representative, and a representative of the landscaping company. Carey reported that the dead trees in the plaza (which are not the type of tree originally specified) will be removed in the next few days and new ones will be planted sometime in September. Presently, a list is being drawn up of trees that are available in local nurseries that the landscape architect feels would function well, are the right size, and will provide shade in the plaza. Some varieties are “spring digs” only. Carey said the library may consider the trees to be a warranty item; that way, the library may move forward on closing out the project and allow the landscapers to finish their work at an 3 appropriate time. It was also explained that the tree stumps will be covered with gravel temporarily, so that the grates only have to be removed once, at the time of re-planting. Confidentiality and Library User Records Policy: Moved by Manus, seconded by Rohret, to adopt a resolution removing the existing policies entitled “Confidentiality of Library Records” and “Use of Patron Database” and approving a new policy called “Confidentiality and Library User Records” as presented/amended.” Librarian Alissa Dornink said that staff had compared APL’s policy with those of some other libraries and tried to make it more succinct. Carey explained that a staff committee has been asked to retain the procedures in a different format. When asked, Dornink explained that electronic content (such as e-books, e-magazines, and downloadable audio books) is provided to account holders by vendors with which the Library contracts. APL cannot guarantee confidentiality when a borrower uses the third party services. The issue of privacy during the collection process was raised. Carey explained that information about what resources a person uses is protected under Iowa law; however, information about the amount of fines and fees a person owes is not. She pointed out that the names and addresses of card holders is not protected under Iowa Code, either, unless the board has reason to believe that releasing the information would discourage people from applying for library cards. Carey said the language included in paragraph five of the proposed revision is lawful, if the board chooses to hold card registration information confidential. It was noted that the Library does not protect confidentiality when people come to programs or use meeting and study rooms, as these are resources offered in a public venue. Trustee Linch wondered if the Library made any announcements about that. Heid stated that she often announces that APL’s public programs may be recorded and invites attendees to let her know if they don’t want their children or themselves to be photographed. When asked about the issue of non-confidentiality with respect to outstanding fines, Carey explained that the Library does not generally make that information available, but had been obligated to respond to a request from the local paper at one time in the past. She also said that the collection agency with which APL contracts has signed a confidentiality agreement. Campbell stated that he would support a move to stop charging fees, if that were the only work- around. It was agreed that the matter could be a topic of discussion on another occasion. Vote on Motion: 6-0-1. Voting aye: Bradley, Butler, Linch, Manus, Rohret, and Stow; Abstaining: Campbell. Motion approved. Resolution adopted. Discussion about Rainbow Banner Display and Response: Carey summarized the events that occurred when the library displayed rainbow banners on June 26, after a staff request to celebrate the Supreme Court’s decision on same-sex marriage was approved. She said the display was intended to celebrate the extension of civil rights to a protected class, using the banners as symbols of inclusion, non-discrimination, support of equality and support of diversity. Carey said the Library received both positive and negative feedback in person and via phone calls, e-mails and social media, especially after an article with a photo of one of the banners appeared in The Tribune. One of the banners was taken down on Saturday morning after an incident took place between two visitors; the other one remained alongside an ALA poster about 4 Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transsexual Queer (LGBTQ) Book Month, which was held in June. Carey stated that expressions of opposition and support were received in about equal numbers. However, three persons said they would disassociate themselves from APL and one person indicated that he would pursue the matter with the Legal Department on the basis that the display was illegal and against the Library’s policy. She said that objections most frequently cited the Library’s Expressions of Concern Policy, which states that the library “does not endorse particular ideas, beliefs, or viewpoints.” Carey respectfully submitted that the display supported an ideal—the extension of civil rights to a protected class—which meshes exactly with the foundational principles of public libraries in this country: inclusion, respect for diversity, non-discrimination, and equality. She said she had shared that sentiment with the objectors. Trustee Linch said he appreciates the concept that everyone entering the library should have the freedom to access any idea and remarked that the beauty of entering a library not displaying some sort of representation is that a person does not feel the library is taking a position. He expressed concern that APL’s banner display sent the message to those who disagreed with the Supreme Court ruling that their opinion was not worth having because it was wrong. Carey said that was certainly not the intent. She noted that most people expressed objections for religious reasons, but maintained that the matter was not a religious issue, but one of civil rights. She stated that the Library does take sides on the issues of equality and inclusion; yet, a celebration of those ideals does not exclude anything. Carey made the analogy that hanging a photo of the President would not denigrate those who dislike him or didn’t vote for him. In the same way, offering things in the Library that certain persons don’t agree with is not a put-down to them, but a support to those who do. She suggested that it might be helpful to consider the concepts in reverse. As an institution, the Library does not support discrimination, does not support injustice, and does not support exclusivity—which means that it does support the opposites. Linch reiterated his position that the library should be a blank slate—open to all and sending no particular message—and that it is good for APL as an institution to stay above the fray. Trustee Campbell said he did not see this as an issue. He recalled a time when some patrons did not want APL to display materials that allowed students to make good decisions on sexual health issues. The Library took a similar stance and continues to display them. He stated that people should expect the library to be a refuge, a place where everything and its opposite is present, that tries to live up to the ideals we hold as a country, and where it is understood that everything is open. Acker stated that the matter is an ongoing conversation; the trustees are representatives of the community in this forum and she appreciates the Board’s ability to discuss these topics. She felt the trustees should understand thoroughly the viewpoints that Director Carey expressed and, whether or not they agree with them, be able to share them with members of the community and understand better what the Library is about. In response to a request that had been made by a trustee, Carey distributed a list of things the Library has celebrated in the past. Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with APLFF for Fiscal Year 2015/16: Moved by Stow, seconded by Campbell, to approve the Memorandum of Understanding with APLFF for Fiscal Year 2015/16 as presented/amended. 5 It was explained that the MOU offers a way for the APLFF to reimburse the City for office space and the assistance of library staff, and the Board of Trustees directs how the money is expended. Carey noted that the rate charged for office space was based on the amount the Story County Community Foundation pays for its offices in the Ames Historical Society building. Vote on Motion to approve the MOU as presented: 7-0. Motion approved unanimously. Resolution adopted. Director Master of Library Science (MLS) Requirement: Acker stated that in order to be certified as a public library worthy of receiving certain state funds, and in order to ensure quality operations, the director is required to have an MLS degree. At the time Carey was originally offered her position, Board leadership was told that an exemption would not be granted if requested, but there is now a possibility that a request might be viewed favorably if submitted. Acker said that APL employs nine full-time-equivalent MLS librarians who are active where that degree is important, but Carey is in an administrative/managerial position and would prefer that her professional development be focused on areas in which she directly works. Acker explained that Carey would need to write a letter setting forth her request and offered to write one on behalf of the Library Board, if that were the Board’s wish. Moved by Stow, seconded by Manus, that the Library pursue with the Iowa Library Commission an exemption from the requirement that the director have the MLS degree. Campbell said he would like to see that in writing first. Carey said the Iowa Code provides for an opportunity to ask for a waiver, but there is no precedent for granting one. Carey added that she was not suggesting that APL should waive the director’s MLS requirement in perpetuity; a waiver is to be based on individual circumstances. Vote on Motion: 8-0. Motion carried unanimously. Trustee Comments: Stow and Manus said that they appreciate the Board’s robust discussions and diverse perspectives and like to have the Library in the news, whether the sentiment is good or bad. Linch commented on how apparent it is that the library staff is dedicated and passionate about their work. Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned by consensus at 8:53 p.m. The next regular meeting will be on Thursday, August 20, 2015, at 7:00 p.m., in the Dale H. Ross Board Room, Ames Public Library, 515 Douglas Avenue.