September 20, 2005 Minutes
Board of Trustees
Fargo Public Library
Minutes of September 20, 2005
Present: Betty Kerns, Prakash Mathew, Helen Levitt, Herb Snyder, Leo Wilking
Friends of the Fargo Public Library Liaison: Bob Mason
Staff: Monique Andresen
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
Herb Snyder moved to approve the minutes of August 23 and September 1, 2005. Prakash Mathew seconded the motion; the motion carried.
Staff Report
Monique Andresen reported Mary Bushing, a Library Consultant who has presented internationally, is here for a staff development team building workshop today and tomorrow. North Dakota Library Association annual conference is in Grand Forks this week. Eight staff members are attending. As of August 11, Lori Wilkie is no longer working in the childrens room. The position has been advertised and closes Friday.
Directors Report
Charles Pace reported the ODIN Director, Tony Stukel visited the library to address concerns regarding the ALEPH system. Richard Moorhead, Pat Zavoral, Linda Coates and Charles Pace met several times to negotiate the Northport lease. A joint powers agreement draft for the Park Board is being written by the city attorney for the south side library. May is the target date for the north side library opening.
The pre-design phase of the new web site for the city has been completed. In the future, departments will have templates to update web pages.
Beth Postema has been elected Vice President/President Elect of North Dakota Library Association. Erin Smith has been elected Chair of the school libraries section and Jake Fejedelem will be serving as Chair of the public libraries section.
Randy Carillo has joined the staff of Buildings and Grounds as a weekend custodian responsible for the library.
Receipt printers and the Vendprint system both have problems at Southpointe and need upgraded software that is coming soon. New photocopiers have been ordered and installed in the Adult Room to replace older machines. New shelving has been ordered and received to replace shelving behind the information desk. A new disk repair system has been ordered and installed to repair scratches in CDs and DVDs.
The wireless router has been installed at the Southpointe branch and is operational. A new CD rack has been ordered and installed to increase the amount of space available for the CD collection. >/p>
Nancy Giere has decided to step down as staff representative to the board. Elections will be held to determine a new representative.
Linda Coates stated the City Commission discussion of the main library will be held at the first meeting the new commissioner attends in October. Hopefully it will be decided at that time.
Statistical Reports
Library attendance increased 11% for the month of August and has increased 4% from this time last year. Program attendance decreased sharply from last year due to a strategic decision to limit programs and Southpointe. Greatly expanded programming will be available when the new south library is open. Internet signup has increased more than 50% from this time last year. Over half million items have circulated this year. 973 new library cards were issued in the month of August.
Friends of the Fargo Public Library Report
Bob Mason reported the sorting session took place last week. The bank balance is approximately $16,000. Carol Sawicki reported on a survey that is in process funded by the Friends of the Fargo Public Library to gain insight into programming needs of active adults. This will help in determining what kind of programming will be available in the new library. The survey is in process of being stuffed and mailed.
Continuing Business
A. Review and approve Naming Rights Policy
Helen Levitt moved to approve the Naming Rights Policy as written. Herb Snyder seconded the motion; the motion carried.
B. Second reading and approval of bylaw amendments
The last meeting Leo Wilking moved to approve the bylaw amendments. Helen Levitt seconded the motion. Taking a vote at this meeting, the motion carried.
C. Update on fundraising consultant search
The request for proposals closed Friday. Steve West who presented information to the board previously was unable to commit to the timeline and did not submit a proposal. Five proposals were received regarding the feasibility study. The capital campaign is separate and will take place after evaluating the findings of the feasibility study.
D. Update on 2005 budget process
The City budget process is complete at this point. The positions approved will be paid from the fund set aside for operations and maintenance through the sales tax revenues.
New Business
A. Review and approve Circulation Policy
Leo Wilking moved to adopt the Circulation Policy as written. Prakash Mathew seconded the motion; the motion carried.
B. Review and approve revised ILL Policy
Helen Levitt moved to approve the Interlibrary Loan Policy as written. Herb Snyder seconded the motion; the motion carried.
C. Library Director performance review
Last year Charles Pace collected a survey from the staff. Questions were obtained from Human Resources. A committee short of a quorum is needed to conduct the performance review. Helen Levitt and Prakash Mathew were appointed.
Public Comment
The picture attached to the back of the board packet was published in Library Journal. Diane Briggs took the picture of Childrens Librarian Cynthia Wrays child, Jonathon and his cousin Jasmin at the Summer Reading Carnival.
Next Board Meeting
The next board meeting will be held Tuesday, October 18, 2005, at 4:00 p.m. in the City Commission Room.
The meeting was adjourned at 4:45 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Monique Andresen