July 26, 2005 Minutes
Board of Trustees
Fargo Public Library
Minutes of July 26, 2005
Present: Betty Kerns, Prakash Mathew, Helen Levitt , Suzanne Morrison, Leo Wilking
Friends of the Fargo Public Library Liaison: Bob Mason
Staff: Nancy Giere , Monique Andresen , Jackie Lang , Jake Fejedelem
Director: Charles Pace
Others: City Commissioner Linda Coates
Order of Agenda
Prakash Mathew moved to approve the order of the agenda. Helen Levitt seconded the motion; the motion carried.
Minutes
Helen Levitt moved to approve the minutes of May 31, 2005 . Prakash Mathew seconded the motion; the motion carried. Prakash Mathew moved to approve the minutes of June 14, 2005 . Helen Levitt seconded the motion; the motion carried.
Staff Report
Nancy Giere reported the Summer Reading Program has been very busy this summer with 1,654 registered children. The Dragons and Tiaras programs attracted 250 participants, Harry Potter 200, Juggler 232, Traveling Lantern Theater group 130, Circus program 98, and movies average 50 children per showing.
Emily Millard has resigned from her position in circulation. She will be teaching English in Japan for a year.
Six staff members attended the American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference held in Chicago .
Jackie Lang reported on her first ALA conference and first time visiting Chicago . She was able to hear many speakers including Barak Obama, senator from Illinois who talked about the Patriot Act. Nancy Pearl, author of Book Lust and Book Lust 2, is the model for the librarian action figure. She was able to attend a Taste of Chicago tour which highlighted the Third World Press and Cabrini Green in South Chicago . She was appreciative of the diversity of the community. She was also able to take advantage of the exhibit area and meet several authors and vendors where she was introduced to RFID technology and how it worked. She selects materials for the science fiction collection at the library, and was able to attend a science fiction author talk where they stressed the importance of science fiction as maintaining a hope in the future. She was also made aware of the preservation and archival processes that need to be implemented for historical documents, artistic renderings and manuscripts. Finally, she wanted to thank the board for the opportunity to attend the conference for her first time and the opportunity to meet other catalogers and like minded librarians.
Directors Report
Statistical data still is not consistent when extracting data from the new Aleph system. Work continues to solve the problem of receiving useful reports. Charles Pace met with Bob Jansen, NDSU Communications Coordinator, to discuss Aleph and ODIN issues and ways to improve effectiveness and communication.
The Summer Reading Program carnival was held in the Civic Center due to weather conditions at the time. More than 1,600 children have registered for the summer reading program.
Charles Pace met with new board members Leo Wilking and Suzanne Morrison July 6 to give them a brief overview of library operations and copies of the policies and procedures and board handbooks.
Lois Smith, Buffalo (ND) Public Library librarian, met with Charles Pace to discuss possible bookmobile service in Buffalo . At this time, the bookmobile will not add Buffalo to its schedule, but the citizens of Buffalo may take advantage of the Fargo Public Library collections by obtaining a free nonresident library card.
The library air conditioning compressor failed in June. A rebuilt compressor was installed.
Melisa Duncan , Jake Fejedelem , Greg Gilstrap , Jackie Lang , Charles Pace , and Beth Postema attended the American Library Association annual conference in Chicago , IL , June 24-29. Reports are attached to the board packets outlining conference experiences.
Charles Pace will be on vacation August 15-22.
Statistical Reports
Door count increased 2% from this time last year and continues to be strong. We have issued over 1,000 new library cards in the month of June. Year to date total circulation is at 409,684.
Friends of the Fargo Public Library Report
The annual meeting of the Friends of the Fargo Public Library was held and Michael Sebille was named the new president. Board members serve two year terms. The June book sale generated $1,260 bringing the account balance to roughly $17,000. $9,000 of the balance has been allocated to library funding requests. Sorting sessions are continuing to go well with good attendance. Currently there are 214 members. Betty Kerns recommends memberships to all in the room.
Continuing Business
A. Approve creation of request for proposal for a new Radio Frequence Identification (RFID) system
The RFID technology proposed has a very low range and intensity. If it were to be incorporated into book returns and self check stations, manual staff time would be reduced.
Helen Levitt moved to direct Charles Pace to compile a request for proposal for radio frequency identification technology to aid in the decision making process. Prakash Mathew seconded the motion; the motion carried.
B. Review and approve revised Gifts of the Library Policy
Helen Levitt moved to approve the Gifts of the Library Policy as written. Leo Wilking seconded the motion; the motion carried.
New Business
A. Review and approve Computer Use Policy
Leo Wilking moved the new Computer Use Policy be adopted. Prakash Mathew seconded the motion; the motion carried.
B. Discussion of possible Naming Rights Policy
Naming rights may be at any level from the library as a whole to pieces of furniture. It could be a positive way for the community to show support of the library. The city may or may not have parameters set for naming rights. Charles Pace will draft a policy to bring to the next board meeting.
This policy is in anticipation of a fundraising campaign. A site and rough design graphic is needed before fundraising may begin. The branch sites have been approved by the City Commission and work continues on site acquisition. Work also continues on grant sources. The next combined meeting and public forum is scheduled for August 23.
Public Comment
There was no comment at this time.
Next Board Meeting
The annual meeting of the board will be held immediately after adjournment.
The meeting was adjourned at 4:55 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Monique Andresen