April 18, 2006 Minutes
Board of Trustees
Fargo Public Library
Minutes of April 18, 2006
Present: Betty Kerns, Herb Snyder, Richard Zeck, Helen Levitt, Prakash Mathew, Leo Wilking, Suzanne Morrison
Staff: Maxine Hilburn, Beth Postema
Director: Charles Pace
Others Present: Kent Costin, City of Fargo Finance Director, Richard Moorhead of Image Group
Order of Agenda
Herb Snyder moved to approve the order of the agenda with an addition to new business regarding 11:00 a.m. openings on Fridays. Prakash Mathew seconded the motion; the motion carried.
Minutes
Leo Wilking moved to approve the minutes of March 21 adding Friends of the Fargo Public Library liaison Bob Mason to the attendance. Prakash Mathew seconded the motion; the motion carried.
Staff Report
Maxine Hilburn reported 20 people attended the poetry program April 4. Author Annelee Woodstrom was at the library April 10 with 25 in attendance. Author Diane Stanley will be at the library April 19 and author John R Erickson April 20. Author Lorna Landvik will visit the library April 25. A library career fair will take place in the meeting room April 23 at 2 p.m. Summer Reading Program will hold a four day kick off program June 5-8 in lieu of a carnival this year.
Eve Haaland and Nancy Giere attended the Spotlight on Books Conference March 31 to April 1 in Grand Rapids, MN. Diane Briggs, Lindsey Guderjahn, Cheryl Lackman, Steve Hubbard, and Lori West attended the Public Library Association conference in Boston, MA, March 21-25. Maxine Hilburn attended the Building Bridges conference in Fargo.
Beth Willoughby started April 17 as our newest Library Associate I working at adult circulation. Welcome to the library!
Conference Report
Steve Hubbard reported finding many good ideas and energy at the Public Library Association conference in Boston. Taking advantage of the history of the area, he toured Harvard and the Kennedy Library. He also attended several professional presentations at the conference. One session told of how Denver Public Library fully utilized census information and usage patterns to tailor branch libraries to fit the neighborhood. Some branches now focus on the family, ethnic heritage, and contemporary collections. Another session was about the millennial generation or gamer generation as defined as those born since 1982. This group consists of 36% of the population and it helped in understanding a part of the population he needs to work with and help at the information desk.
Lori West also took advantage of several professional presentations. One session was about readers advisory online. This may be an option to explore in the near future when the main library is under construction. Another idea that came from the emerging technology session pertained to blogging. This also may be an option for the teen area or the library construction projects in the near future. Many patrons are virtual library users already.
Directors Report
Construction at Northport is ahead of schedule. Electrical and mechanical work is complete. They are ready to start hanging sheet rock. Carpet will arrive next week.
Melisa Duncan and Charles Pace met with James Ferragut of H2M to discuss the capital campaign promotional materials for potential donors. David Baker will be in Fargo April 25-27. Some people have tentatively agreed to serve on the campaign committee.
RFID tagging is moving forward. Tags will be placed on CD cases as it is not cost effective to purchase booster tags or locking cases. The DVD collection will be using locking cases. These items require circulation staff to unlock the material when the patron checks out.
A city van has been acquired by the library from central garage. It is an interim step while we request funds for a van with a lift in the next budget cycle. It will be used for book drop shuttle of materials and deliveries.
Charles Pace attended a conference on the economic impact of libraries. The state library of Florida did an economic analysis and discovered a gain of $6.44 for every $1 invested in the library. There is value in having a good library in communities. Charles Pace will check with local universities about conducting an economic analysis of the Fargo Public Library.
An attorney generals opinion changed the way state aid is calculated this year. A number of libraries no longer qualify under the new process. The Fargo Public Library aid check nearly doubled from last year. Charles Pace will attend a meeting in Bismarck May 5 to discuss an equitable calculation and distribution for libraries throughout the state.
We are now recruiting for the Collection Development librarian. The new online application system set up by the city helps to streamline the paperwork. The position is approved for a July 1 start date.
Statistical Reports
Door count increased 2% and electronic usage increased 15% this month compared to last March. There were 724 new borrowers added for a total of 52,124 patrons in out database. Online registration for library cards will soon be available. Usage statistics will fluctuate greatly as facilities open and close in the future.
The library has expended 20.88% of the budget 25% of the way through the year. The seminar and conference line item is nearly expended due to the Public Library Association conference which occurs every two years.
Friends of the Fargo Public Library Report
The bank balance is currently over $19,000. The book sale was a bag sale only and brought in $960. $325 in memberships was also collected at the sale. Currently there are 195 memberships with a value of $5,630.
The next book sale will be July 12 and 13. July 12 will be members only from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. July 13 will be a public sale from 3:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
The contingency plan committee is at a standstill until more information is available about temporary facilities. Charles Pace reported options for a public presence downtown are still moving forward. The main library will be closed for 18-20 months. The Northport branch library will be open at that time and 6 months after closing main, the new larger Southpointe branch will open. A downtown service point is needed at some level.
Continuing Business
A: Update on south branch schematic design
Thursday evening there will be a public input forum for the main design at the Radisson. Friday morning there will be a building committee meeting in the commission room. No further elevations or plans have been received to date.
New Business
A: Appointment of budget committee for 2007 budget process
The budget committee will consist of Linda Coates, Prakash Mathew, Betty Kearns, and Charles Pace.
B: 11:00 a.m. openings on Fridays
The library has been closed from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. since January 2000 for staff development and staff meetings. Prior to that time, staff meetings were handled in shifts with different information being mentioned at each meeting depending on the questions raised. These two hours provide time for staff meetings, team meetings, staff development trainings, department meetings, off desk time for ordering and researching, and technical maintenance. It was decided to maintain the current hours of operation.
Public Comment
There was no public comment at this time.
Next Board Meeting
The next board meeting is scheduled for May 16 at 4:00 in the City Commission room.
The meeting was adjourned at 5:15 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Monique Andresen