HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Ames Public Library Board of Trustees Minutes of the Regular Meeting 07/19/2012Ames Public Library Board of Trustees
Meeting Minutes
July 19, 2012
The Ames Public Library (APL) Board of Trustees met in regular session on Thursday, July 19,
2012, in the City Council Chambers, 515 Clark Avenue, with Acker, Bradley, Manus, Meier,
Schill, and Stow in attendance. Assistant Director Carey and Librarians Bri Anderson and Justin
Armbruster were also present. Budd, Campbell, and Rawlins were excused.
Call to Order: Board President Stow called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
Installation of New Trustee: Jane Acker, whose term began on July 1, was sworn in by Stow.
Consent Agenda: Moved by Manus, seconded by Bradley, to adopt a resolution approving
the consent agenda:
1) Minutes of the regular meeting of June 21, 2012
2) Claims Report 6/1/2012 – 6/30/2012
3) Financial Reports
Vote on Motion: 5-0. Motion approved unanimously. Resolution adopted.
Public Forum: None
Activity Reports:
Staff Report: Carey gave an update on the search for persons to fill four open positions at the
library. The half-time position vacated by Teresa Rosenberg in Outreach has been accepted by
Linda Olson. Linda has been the Project Smyles coordinator for several years; now, with both
positions, she will be working full time. The other three positions (for a youth library assistant
and two division coordinators) are posted and applications are due in the next few weeks.
Carey distributed information from the State Library’s website and the Association of Library
Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations (ALTAFF) about resources for trustees and
library supporters. Both entities also offer educational opportunities. The library has budgeted to
register all APL trustees as members.
Ames Public Library Friends Foundation (APLFF) Report: Stow announced two one-day book
sales coming up in July and a major sale scheduled September 21-23. After the September
sale, there will be a “clean-up sale” in an attempt to get rid of all the remaining books, since they
can’t be moved. The Teen Advisory Group (TAG) has set goals of earning $1000 for Project
Smyles and $500 for the building project this year. This summer they will have booths at
Downtown Sidewalk Sales, the Farmer’s Market, Bookends at the Bandshell, and Rock the
Library events. Stow said the APLFF is working on a new strategic plan, as well as a public
fundraising campaign with a proposed mailing date of August 17.
President’s Report: Stow noted that some changes were made to the format of the agenda this
month; he said the President’s Report will be an occasional item, as warranted. He invited the
trustees to share their thoughts about the changes with himself or the recording secretary. Stow
stated that his primary goal this year was openness and inclusion to ensure the success of the
renewal project, as well as to support the staff and be a resource for their success.
In his role as President, Stow said he would like to create a committee structure and redeploy
some of the trustees’ resources. First, he said that Jane Acker would replace Al Campbell as a
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representative to the APLFF, since Campbell will be serving as the Library Board’s vice
president and taking on some other tasks.
Second, Stow described the committees he has started to organize:
A Strategic Planning Committee, made up of trustees Al Campbell and Laura Rawlins,
along with staff members Mary Logsdon, Mary Morton, and Lynne Carey. He anticipates
that the committee will hold one or two planning meetings but engage in the core work
after the move.
A Budget and Finance Committee, with Sherry Meier and Shazia Manus. They will work
with staff on the development of the annual budget and the capital improvements plan
and review details before proposals are submitted to the full board. This committee will
also review the quarterly financial reports.
A Task Force on Bylaws, with Al Campbell, Sam Schill, and Sherry Bradley. This group
will review and update the bylaws and bring a proposal to the board, possibly in
September.
A Director’s Evaluation Process and Review Document Taskforce. Stow said that staff
members Sarah Bohlke and Karen Thompson will participate, he is willing to share his
expertise, and he is seeking two more trustees.
A Building Project Committee is already meeting weekly. Members of this committee are Sherry
Meier, Bo Duckett, Lynne Carey, Karen Thompson, Construction Advisor Brad Heemstra, the
City’s Fleet and Facilities Manager, Paul Hinderaker, and Kevin Stow.
Stow concluded by saying that, in the coming months, the Board will be looking at adopting the
City’s purchasing policy, creating a procedure for bringing contracts to the board for action, and
developing a grant submission process. He invited the trustees to contact him, Carey, or
Thompson if they had any ideas or thought of other matters that should be addressed.
Library Building Project Update:
City Council Meeting: Brad Heemstra, the library’s construction advisor stated that the project
cost summary was laid out for the City Council on June 26. The Council members now have a
better understanding of the plan. They approved Cornerstone Commissioning and a LEED kick-
off meeting has already been held.
Carey added that the Council was appreciative of the meeting the trustees’ had held with Steve
Schainker and the subsequent financial plan. Stow agreed that the meeting had been
productive and he felt the relationship was good for moving forward.
Design Progress: Heemstra said that MS&R has been holding meetings with staff, as well as
lighting, data, door and security consultants. He passed out a timeline showing important dates
for the move, abatement work, and project bidding and construction. He said MS&R will have a
50-percent-complete construction document for pricing on July 23. He and Carey have met with
the Purchasing staff so that everyone understands how the dates need to line up in order to get
approvals. It is currently anticipated that the Library Board will give its authorization to solicit
bids on September 20, then the City Council will approve the plans and specifications and set
November 15 as the bid due date. If all goes well, staff should be able to report the preliminary
outcome at that evening’s Library Board meeting and the Council may approve the contract in
December.
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Heemstra noted that a separate contract is required for the abatement of asbestos and lead
paint in the older sections; $150,000 is budgeted for that project. He said the goal is to move the
library out to its temporary space right after bid day so that abatement may be done in
December and the construction work on the expansion and renovation may begin in January.
Trustee Acker remarked that the schedule looked pretty dense and wondered what potential
pitfalls might disrupt the schedule. Heemstra said the architect’s progress on finalizing the
design was critical, and it is partly dependent on decisions about hardware, doors, security
systems, etc. He said that staff has to stay on task so all the information can be included in the
contract documents. Stow pointed out that the bids could also come in too high.
Temporary Space: Heemstra said a draft lease agreement for two spaces in the Lincoln Center
complex is now being reviewed by City Attorney Doug Marek. He plans to send his revisions to
the owner’s legal counsel on July 20 and the attorneys will work out further details. Because of
the compressed time frame, Stow asked the other trustees if they would be comfortable having
the Executive Committee review and approve the lease agreement so that it could be forwarded
to the City Council expeditiously. It was agreed that that approach was acceptable.
Carey said staff has been very involved and enthusiastic about the temporary space and the
move. Work groups have been visiting the location and the floor plan has been laid out.
Everyone is thrilled that the temporary location will not be just a warehouse for books, but will
actually offer the amenities of a real library.
Carey said she believes the library will be able to execute the move on its own. Some experts
have volunteered to help with logistics, the team is consulting a library moving guidebook, and
staff is incredibly motivated. Numerous offers to help have come from people in the community
and other city departments.
Trustee Manus asked if the library had a strategy for communicating with the public. Carey said
that Jillian Ocken, Community Relations Specialist, has been updating the library’s website.
Also, some projects are being undertaken before the move so that changes can be phased in
now, rather than introducing too many all at once. Similarly, staff plans to test some procedures
in the temporary space that may eventually be incorporated into operations in the new space.
Acker asked how the technology transition would take place. Carey replied that the library is
working with city staff and other professionals. APL will have twelve computers in a “commons”
area, as well as some in the teen section, and Iowa Workforce Development software will be
installed on them. There will also be computers for public access to the catalog. Carey said that
the Youth Department will have story times in the new space; off-site space will be sought for
adult programming. The hope is to offer as much full service as possible.
Library Renovation Project Financial Reports: Carey explained that the Renovation Project
report was updated this month—one sheet now shows detail of the current project only, while
the following sheet shows expenses over the life of the entire project.
Policy Review: Stow drew the trustees’ attention to a Policy Review matrix that had been
placed around the dais. He stated that the ALA guidance documents listed on the reverse are
used for reference, but they cannot be changed and he feels they should no longer be brought
to the board for approval.
Internet Use Policy and Guidelines
Librarians Bri Anderson and Justin Armbruster reviewed the Internet Use Policy in preparation
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for this meeting. Anderson said that they used three ALA documents as resources: Access to
Digital Information, Services and Networks; the ALA Statement on the Library Use of Filtering
Software, and ALA Guidelines and Considerations for Developing a Public Library Internet Use
Policy. They found that the foundation of the APL policy is still very relative to the issues staff
encounters today, so they did not make many changes.
Armbruster said that they added references to Section 728.6 of the Code of Iowa, changed the
paragraph about the filtering software, and added a disclaimer about its effectiveness. He said
the library intends to provide a list of filtering search engines, since filtering software is not
currently installed on library computers. A sample list of filtering applications that provide
appropriate research-oriented results was distributed.
Stow asked about the teen computers. Anderson said that staff is in a position to monitor them
from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays, Saturday afternoons, and all open hours on Sundays. She
said they rarely have problems. The computers are turned so the screens can be seen, and
most teens just use Facebook or play games. Staff has also made an attempt to get to know the
kids, so good relationships exist and behavior is appropriate. Armbruster added that there is
quite a bit of traffic through the teen space, so even when it is not staffed, there is a presence.
Additional proposed changes included a reference to the state code section that defines what is
harmful to minors, a reference to the APL policy on social networking, and updates to the
section on wireless devices. Anderson said that they removed the sentence stating that APL did
not provide wireless devices because the library may decide to do so in the future. They also
added a sentence stating that while staff does not generally provide help with personal devices,
they will assist when devices are being used to obtain library-offered downloadable materials. A
statement about the possibility that a click-on agreement may be required to obtain wireless
access was also added, because that feature is likely to be added in the future.
Acker requested that the reference to “things” that are obscene in the “Responsibilities of
Customers” section be changed to refer to “content” instead.
Stow asked if there is a high threshold of tolerance before staff intervenes with teen computer
use. Carey said that staff does not make a judgment about what is obscene, but gives a
warning. This can be done by initiating a pop-up on the screen, interacting verbally, or giving the
individual a hand-out; these methods let the users know there has been a complaint and that
what they are viewing could be found to be illegal. She said that since those measures have
been implemented, there have not been problems. Anderson said she has had to deal with one
instance in the last two years, and it was related to language in a song that could be overheard.
Moved by Meier, seconded by Schill, to approve updates to the Internet Use Policy as
presented by staff, as well as a text amendment by Acker.
Vote on Resolution: 5-0. Motion approved. Resolution declared adopted.
New Business:
Appointment of Interim Director: Stow said the Executive Committee agreed and proposed that
this would be a six-month appointment to get the library through the move. In December, the
Board could extend the interim, initiate a national search, or appoint a new director.
Moved by Manus, seconded by Meier, to adopt a resolution appointing Lynne Carey
as Interim Library Director from July 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012, with an annual
salary of $107,597.82, based on City of Ames Personnel Policy Section 7.13(2).
Vote on Resolution: 5-0. Motion approved unanimously. Resolution adopted.
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Stow asked Carey to share her goals for the next six months. Carey said that filling the open
positions was taking time at present, and she is very focused on fostering a positive work
environment in which staff is engaged and involved. She also spoke about her priorities with
respect to library operations and relationships with the City Council, Administration, and staff; all
aspects of the Renewal Project; collaborative activities with the Board of Trustees and the
APLFF Board of Directors; and her continued involvement in community and professional
organizations.
Stow thanked staff for keeping up the good work.
Trustee Comments:
Manus said she was excited to see the changes that Stow implemented. She also welcomed
new trustee Jane Acker and congratulated Lynne Carey on her appointment. She said she
sensed excitement and invigoration and was pleased to see cultural alignment and keeping
morale at top of her list of goals; she was also pleased to see staff involved with the meeting.
Bradley also congratulated Carey for her well-deserved appointment, welcomed Acker, and
thanked staff for their continuing hard work
Acker said this was a thrilling time for her to join Board of Trustees and was excited about the
recreation of our outstanding library.
Meier said she believed Acker would be a valuable member of the Library Board. She also
congratulated Lynne, saying she has done a wonderful job so far.
Schill’s comment: “Let’s do this thing!”
Stow asked the public to stay tuned because a lot is happening these days. He said a piece was
recently filmed for “@ Your Library” on cable channel 12 and another segment will be taped
next Tuesday.
Adjournment: Moved by Schill, seconded by Acker, to adjourn at 7:57 p.m.
Vote on Motion: 5-0. Motion carried unanimously.
The next regular meeting will be on Thursday, August 16, 2012, at 7:00 p.m., in the City Council
Chambers, 515 Clark Avenue.
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Karen C. Thompson, Administrative Assistant Laura Rawlins, Secretary of the Board
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