HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Ames Public Library Board of Trustees Minutes of the Regular Meeting 11/21/2015Ames Public Library Board of Trustees
Minutes of the Special Meeting
November 21, 2015
The Ames Public Library (APL) Board of Trustees met in special session on Saturday,
November 21, 2015, in the Rotary Room, 515 Douglas Avenue, with Acker, Butler, Linch,
Manus and Rohret in attendance. Briese and Campbell arrived later. Bradley and Stow were
excused. The Ames Public Library Friends Foundation Board of Directors was represented by
Jon Sargent and Jean Meek. Members of library staff in attendance included: Bohlke, Briseno,
Carey, Donnell, Harris, Hawes, Heid, and Thompson.
Call to Order: Library Board President Acker called the meeting to order at 9:10 a.m.
Strategic Planning: James LaRue, library consultant and former 24-year director of Douglas
County Libraries in Colorado, facilitated discussion and thinking about what the library is doing
right and what folks wish it could improve upon or do next. LaRue had conducted two similar
sessions the previous day with 90% of APL’s salaried staff and over 50% of the Library Aides.
Trustee Campbell arrived at 9:11 a.m.
It was generally agreed that the library was interested in coming up with an umbrella plan that
would serve to guide library activities in the future, help with setting limitations, and include
some measurable outcomes.
Input from the group was categorized into seven key areas: community, collections, facilities,
programs, services, staff, and technology. LaRue stated that comments from staff were quite
similar to those of the board members, which he felt was indicative of a healthy organization.
LaRue said that he would summarize the information in the seven key areas with bullet-points,
and it was agreed that the Board and staff will then come up with a systematic approach,
timeline, and means of evaluating the results.
Trustee Briese arrived at 10:25 a.m.
There was discussion about the library’s mission statement and shared values. The group was
asked to consider what it would like the library to be in ten years and to articulate an aspiration
for the community. A potential vision statement was crafted:
“Creating a curious and engaged community by freely connecting people to the world of
ideas.”
LaRue noted that the library’s role could have to do with literacy or community engagement, or
in simply getting people out of their homes and recognizing that the quality of their lives
benefited as a result of something the library had to offer. He added that benchmarks could be
attached to specific concepts to formulate goals, such as “APL will be a place that is welcoming
and promotes curiosity, and x% of the community responds to it, supports it, or benefits from it.”
He said the notion of regarding the library as a destination—a place to go for a variety of
reasons—lends itself to a broader understanding of what “library” means and has much to do
with the community’s perception of the value of a library.
Adjournment:
2
Moved by Manus, seconded by Butler, to adjourn the meeting at 11:20 a.m.
Vote on Motion: 7-0. Carried unanimously.
The Library Board’s next regular meeting will be on Thursday, December 17, 2015, at 7:00 p.m.,
in the Dale H. Ross Board Room of Ames Public Library, 515 Clark Avenue.