May 31, 2005 Minutes
Board of Trustees
Fargo Public Library
Minutes of May 31, 2005
Present: Betty Kerns, Prakash Mathew, Helen Levitt, Herb Snyder, Jean Rayl
Friends of the Fargo Public Library Liaison: Bob Mason
Staff: Nancy Giere, Monique Andresen
Director: Charles Pace
Others: City Commissioner Linda Coates, Steve West
Order of Agenda
Jean Rayl moved to approve the order of the agenda as rearranged. Helen Levitt seconded the motion; the motion carried.
Minutes
Prakash Mathew moved to approve the minutes of April 26, 2005 and May 11, 2005 . Herb Snyder seconded the motion; the motion carried.
Steve West, Fundraising Discussion
Steve West has been involved with fundraising in the region including Meritcare and Trollwood Performing Arts School. He presented an overview of the fundraising process.
Site selection, what the facility will look like, and an estimated budget should be complete before stepping into a feasibility study. The budget would then be adjusted after the feasibility study.
A feasibility study would involve a 10 to 15 page case for support, 40 to 60 interviews, a questionnaire of 22 to 23 questions, and a final report. This will answer any issues of a realistic fundraising goal and take approximately three months.
A typical campaign would be 9 to 18 months after the feasibility study. The top gift should account for 15 to 25% of the goal. The top 12 to 15 gifts should account for 65 to 80% of the goal. The public campaign should be launched when a minimum of 60% has been committed. When a public campaign phase is launched without this, typically the campaign does not reach its goal.
New Business
A. Review and approve north branch and south branch building program
Herb Snyder moved to approve the north branch and south branch building programs as written. Jean Rayl seconded the motion; the motion carried.
Continuing Business
A. Review and approve 2006 budget request
Jean Rayl moved to approve the 2006 budget request to present to the budget committee. Helen Levitt seconded the motion; the motion carried. Betty Kerns and Prakash Mathew will attend the budget committee meeting to present the proposed budget.
Staff Report
Nancy Giere reported the bookmobile is running again. The schedule now includes two days per week at Northport. Amanda Peterson started as a Library Associate I at the adult circulation desk. Cheryl Lackman and Lori West recently graduated from the MLS program.
Directors Report
There have been several issues concerning the new Aleph system. Staff members are working with ODIN to resolve issues including RFID compatibility and limitations of the system.
Statistical Reports
The library continues to have high level door counts and usage statistics. The budget is 28% expended through April.
Friends of the Fargo Public Library Report
An audit was conducted by a North Dakota State University student. One suggestion was to purchase a software program for the treasurer. Sorting continues for the book sale June 7, 8, and 9. The annual meeting is June 14.
Public Comment
There was no comment at this time.
Next Board Meeting
The next board meeting will be held June 14, 2005 , at 5:00 p.m. in the City Commission room jointly with the Library Building Committee.
The meeting was adjourned at 5:30 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Monique Andresen