HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Ames Public Library Board of Trustees Minutes of the Regular Meeting 12/19/2013Ames Public Library Board of Trustees
Minutes of the Regular Meeting
December 19, 2013
The Ames Public Library (APL) Board of Trustees met in regular session on Thursday,
December 19, 2013, in the City Council Chambers, 515 Clark Avenue, with Acker, Bradley,
Briese, Budd, Campbell, Eason, Manus, Meier, and Stow in attendance. Library Director Lynne
Carey, Technical Services Supervisor Alissa Dornink, Construction Advisor Brad Heemstra, and
Librarian Emilyn Linden were also present.
Call to Order: Board President Stow called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
Consent Agenda:
Moved by Acker, seconded by Eason, to adopt a resolution approving the following
items on the consent agenda:
1) Donations
a) From Edna Ackerman for books ............................................................... $100.00
b) From Ames Playmakers for two books in memory of Dee Hegstrom ...... $78.94
c) From Worldly Goods for Project Smyles ................................................. $279.28
d) From C. J. & Barb Gauger ........................................................................... $50.00
e) From Jean Gauger & Hiram Rogers ........................................................... $50.00
2) Minutes of the regular meeting of November 21, 2013
3) Payment of Claims 11/1/2013 – 11/30/2013
4) 2014 Library Closures
5) Contract for Library Services for Story County for Fiscal Year 2014/15
Vote on Motion: 8-0. Motion approved unanimously. Resolution adopted.
Public Forum: No one spoke.
Activity Reports: Ames Public Library Friends Foundation (APLFF) – Stow stated that the
Teen Advisory Group had raised $110 in a bake sale held earlier in the month and is now busy
planning a Yule Ball and a Valentine’s Day event. The APLFF Budget and Finance Committee
is looking at new software and talking to two firms about an annual audit and tax filings. The
Sales Committee took in over $400 from a December 7 sale. It is now seeking volunteers to
work in Literary Grounds, the used book store inside the library. Stow said the next one-day sale
will be held February 15 and the spring sale will take place April 25-28. The Fundraising
Committee’s annual solicitation for end-of-year contributions has been sent out.
Director Evaluation Committee – Trustee Campbell stated that the committee (himself, Eason,
and Meier) had met the previous evening to talk about the process that will be used this year.
More information will be presented later.
Staff Report – Library Director Carey said that Requests for Proposal (RFPs) for a new
bookmobile and a new Integrated Library System (ILS)/Discovery Layer had gone out.
Proposals for the bookmobile will be due in January; more information about the ILS will be
heard later in this meeting. Carey said that an All-Staff Retreat was held on Sunday evening,
December 8, and all but a handful of staff members attended to hear about the work of teams
planning for the move back to the permanent building. More committees will be formed in
January. November 2013 circulation statistics were up more than 50% over last November—
which was not completely surprising, since the library was closed for the last half of November
2012; nevertheless, the data shows that APL is holding its own in the temporary space.
Agenda Item 2
Social Media and Electronic Communications Update – Librarian Emilyn Linden said that APL
has a Facebook page to which she posts information about books, movies, music, upcoming
events, library closings, news articles, and information about new books. Right now, she is also
listing best books of the year. Sometimes she makes followers aware of cultural events going on
in the community. Linden said her aim is to remind people that that library is both a physical and
a digital destination, and to spotlight the library an institution of learning for Ames.
Linden said there is also a Facebook presence for Project Smyles. At least once a week,
Danielle Ziegler announces upcoming events for children aged seven and under and adds
photos of Smyles, articles about pre-readers and new readers, and links to music videos.
Linden said Ziegler’s goal is to connect with Smyles’ fans and adults interested in early literacy.
Linden stated that about once a month she presents a Tech Talk to help people use the library’s
e-magazine app, Zinio. Although Zinio is a relatively new offering, she said 363 e-magazines
had been checked out in the last month; 2,379 since July 1. Linden added that a staff team is
also looking at updating the library’s website, but a timeline has not been determined.
Responding to a question from Trustee Eason, Linden said the Library does not have a Twitter
presence. She worked with Twitter at another library and feels APL would need more than one
person to manage an account. When asked, Carey said there is a library policy that addresses
content; it is broad enough to allow APL staff members to express themselves as individuals.
Trustees Eason and Manus expressed interest in the use of social media to promote the
upcoming grand opening and fundraising.
Report on Proposals Received for Integrated Library System (ILS) –
Moved by Bradley, seconded by Budd, to adopt the following resolution:
Be it resolved that the Board of Trustees, Ames Public Library, authorizes the
sending of a non-binding letter of intent to Polaris Library Systems of Liverpool, New
York, expressing the intent to purchase the Polaris Integrated Library System (ILS)
generally described in the proposal dated November 22, 2013. The Board further
authorizes the Library Director to work with representatives of Polaris to negotiate the
terms of an agreement for ILS purchase and migration, and to submit said agreement
to the City of Ames Legal Department for review and approval.
Alissa Dornink, the Technical Services/ILS supervisor explained some of the history behind the
team’s effort, which originated with the desire to provide customers a better on-line library
experience. She said the team opted to issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) after coming to the
realization that adding a new discovery layer to the existing ILS would be as time-consuming as
a full migration to a different system. She said a new product would increase staff efficiency.
Dornink said the RFPs were scored independently by five evaluators and the Polaris Library
Systems’ proposal received the highest ratings unanimously—both with and without pricing
included as a factor. She said the details of the contract still needed to be drawn up and
approved by the Legal Department, but Library Administration is recommending that the
trustees send a letter of intent to Polaris in order to get APL added to the firm’s installation
schedule right away.
Discussion ensued about the budget and sources of funding. Carey said that $200,000 had
been earmarked for a new ILS in the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) for 2015/16, but the library
has about $240,000 in a computer replacement fund that may be used now. There is also some
money in the current year’s operating budget. Building project funds may not be used for the ILS
because it is software, but can be put toward computers, video display monitors, and other
Agenda Item 2
equipment for the building. Because the Polaris contract had not been finalized, Carey couldn’t
state an exact amount, but felt the ILS would cost less than $200,000. On-going maintenance
charges will also be lower than the amount APL currently pays. Carey said that if the ILS were
purchased now, the 2015/16 CIP funds would be made available for other City projects.
There was conversation about the comfort level of staff vis-à-vis the rapidity of the process, the
size of other libraries using Polaris, the level of assistance Polaris would provide during the
migration, and the stability of the company. Dornink noted that the team recognizes that
migration to a new ILS will be a huge undertaking, but believes the time is right. Eason pointed
out that a letter of intent would provide some time for the library to back out of the deal, if
something were to come up before the contract was final, and he commended the
ILS/Discovery Team for responding to his charge so rapidly and well.
Vote on Motion: 8-0. Motion approved unanimously. Resolution adopted.
Library Building Project Update:
Construction Update –The library’s construction advisor, Brad Heemstra, said the temporary
roofing had been purchased, as authorized, to allow work to proceed on the 1940 section.
Pricing is underway to address groundwater issues in the basement and reinforcement of the
Board Room floor. He said the Board may need to address those matters in January.
Heemstra said the library is still working on a timeline that calls for construction wrap-up in June;
furniture and equipment installation in July; and systems testing in August. A new factor was
introduced, Heemstra said, after he learned that the City intends to reconstruct 5th Street next
spring. A discussion with Public Works resulted in an agreement to have the section south of
the library, between Douglas and Kellogg Avenues, completed by June 30. The Douglas and
Kellogg intersections are already done and the other blocks of 5th Street will be done later.
Finally, Heemstra reported that The Samuels Group celebrated completion of over 350 days of
work with no time lost due to injuries with a lunch for all the workers on December 18.
Project Cost Summary and Financial Report – Heemstra stated that just over $6 million had
been spent by the end of November. He noted that the cost summary had been updated to
include recent change orders and a line item for broadcast equipment. Carey indicated that a
technology plan was being prepared and that cost would be included as soon as possible. Stow
observed that the Friends Foundation was still on track with the receipt of donations.
Lease Agreements for Temporary Spaces –
Moved by Manus, seconded by Acker, to adopt a resolution recommending that the
City Council exercise its option to extend the lease term with Midwest Centers, LP for
the properties at 620 Lincoln Way for two additional months at the lease rate of
$14,300 per month to allow time for the relocation of library operations, furniture, and
equipment in conjunction with the completion of the Library Renovation and
Expansion Project.
Vote on Motion: 8-0. Motion approved unanimously. Resolution adopted.
Moved by Briese, seconded by Budd, to adopt a resolution authorizing the Library
Director to make arrangements to extend the lease for the premises at 809 East
Lincoln Way with Haynes Kenton, LC, for three additional months at the lease rate of
$1,500 per month (plus the pro-rated tax amount) to allow time for the relocation of
library operations, furniture, and equipment in conjunction with the completion of the
Library Renovation and Expansion Project.
Agenda Item 2
Stow noted that this extension would allow the APLFF to hold its fall book sale at 809 East
Lincoln Way and avoid damaging the walls of the new building. Trustee Budd pointed out that
this lease runs through August, so a three-month extension would run through November, rather
than October, as stated in the briefing paper.
Vote on Motion: 8-0. Motion approved unanimously. Resolution adopted.
Trustee Comments:
The trustees expressed their excitement at seeing the progress on the building and the belief
that the community is going to be dazzled. They also acknowledged Carey and the APL staff for
their enthusiasm and collaborative spirit in accomplishing so much in the last year, for doing
such a fine job under difficult space constraints, and for continuing to exhibit an appetite for
even more work with the goal of providing the best experience for the library users. Stow
expressed appreciation for the hard work and leadership of the trustees, as well.
Trustee Campbell inquired if there had been any feedback from the City Council on the decision
made last month about applying for historic tax credits. Stow said his letter to the Council had
gone out, but he was unaware of any comments thus far.
Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned by consensus at 7:54 p.m.
The next regular meeting will be on Thursday, January 16, 2014, at 7:00 p.m., in the City
Council Chambers, 515 Clark Avenue.
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Karen C. Thompson, Administrative Assistant Jane Acker, Board Secretary
Agenda Item 2