November 21, 2006 Minutes
Board of Trustees
Fargo Public Library
Minutes of November 21, 2006
Present: Prakash Mathew, Helen Levitt, Suzanne Morrison, Herb Snyder, Richard Zeck, Gale Chapman
Absent: Leo Wilking
Friends of the Fargo Public Library Liaison: Carol Sawicki
Staff: Monique Andresen, Tom Fortin
Others Present: City Commissioner Linda Coates
Order of Agenda
The order of the agenda was approved with no additions or corrections.
Minutes
Helen Levitt moved to approve the minutes of October 17, 2006. Herb Snyder seconded the motion; the motion carried.
Staff Report
There was no staff report at this time.
Director’s Report
Tom Fortin reported in the absence of Beth Postema. Related to building projects, Pat Zavoral is negotiating an agreement for additional staff parking close to the 408 Roberts St. temporary downtown site. Pat Zavoral is also working with the fit-up of the public safety building. Photos of construction progress of the new Dr. James Carlson Library are posted on the library web site. Staff members viewed the proposed finishes for the main library. These will be at the December 19 board meeting at which time the bid package will be reviewed for approval. This may be a joint meeting with the building committee for approval from both groups.
Communication is a priority during this transitional time. The library is preparing a public relations package to cover changes taking place. The December newsletter will contain frequently asked questions which will be available at the circulation desks and on the web site. A closing event is scheduled for December 19 with the Friends hosting food music and activities.
A new door counter has been purchased for the main library. It will be installed for December and moved to 408 Roberts Street.
Our thanks go to Jada Goplin, Library Associate II, who has done much of the collection work at Southpointe. Congratulations to Erin Smith, Children’s Librarian, for being named to an American Library Association “at your library” task force. We are currently fully staffed.
The staff portion of the Writing a New Chapter capital campaign took place November 13-17. We have 100% participation from full time staff members and have pledged or collected over $10,000.
Statistical Reports
The main library door counts decreased slightly, while Southpointe continues to build a customer base. Non-print materials have shown the largest increase in circulation. The budget is 77% spent. Large orders of books and materials from the end of October are now arriving and this line item will be spent fully by the end of the year. Next year the Northport book budget is slightly increased. Southpointe increased by $165,000 to help build an opening day collection. Tom Fortin is preparing a request for proposals for the opening day collection. Our collection will increase in electronic resources including downloadable collections and online access to Forum archives.
Friends of the Fargo Public Library Report
Carol Sawicki reported the Friends had a long range planning meeting November 17-18. This was facilitated by a representative from Friends of the Library USA. The Friends of the FPL will change with library changes. This group will encompass more than just a fundraiser identity, but also a citizens voice for the library. Book sales will continue in the new libraries. A book cart will be placed at both Southpointe and Northport to sell a small amount of discarded items. Different community organizations have taken several boxes of the discarded items left over from the last sale and extensive weeding projects. The rest will be boxed and shipped to Better World Books, an organization that distributes books and supports literacy around the world. The Friends of the FPL will now meet monthly as changes are worked through for the organization. Currently there are over two hundred members and approximately $20,000 in the treasury.
Continuing Business
A. Library Move Progress Report
The move out of the main and into the two temporary locations will either be two or three phases, depending if a local mover starts moving stacks to the 408 Roberts St. location the end of December.
The request for proposals has a deadline of November 22. This will go to the city commission for approval in December.
There will be an extended checkout period of eight weeks starting November 27 through March 2. Fines will not be added to patron accounts during this same time period. This is a small gesture of gratitude to the citizens of Fargo for their support during this transition.
B. Building Progress Report
Staff members met with the architect to define the shelving layout at the Dr. James Carlson Library. Next will be finishes and layout of the services desks. Foundations have been poured. The construction should be complete by October 2007, with furnishings, fixtures, and collections to be added after that.
The current main library will be cleared for demolition/construction by the end of February.
New Business
A. Report on collection shifts and sizes during construction phases
The collections at 408 Roberts St. site will be much larger than originally planned. Approximately 157,000 volumes make up the collection at all three locations currently. Approximately 34% of the Main adult collection and 23% of the Main children’s collection will be housed at 408 Roberts St. Some items from the main collection will be moved to Northport to fill out that collection to approximately 19,000 items. The Southpointe collection is virtually full now.
The building layout for 408 Roberts St. was distributed. The mezzanine area will be cleared and these stacks will be used at 408 Roberts St. Perimeter shelving from the children’s area has been cleared also to move to the Roberts St. location.
The rest of the collection will be brought to the public safety building for storage and RFID tagging will start in January.
408 Roberts St. will have newspapers, microfilm access, magazines, a ready reference collection, and children’s, adult, and teen collections. Three staff members will be scheduled at a minimum to handle the circulation desk, reference desk, and reading room area.
B. Proposal for hours of operation during construction phases
A proposal for hours of operation was distributed with the board packets. A Branch Services Manager has been approved for 2007. With this addition, staff should be able to manage the breakout of hours among three service locations.
Helen Levitt moved to approve the hours as written effective January 1, 2007. Suzanne Morrison seconded the motion; the motion carried.
The hours for Southpointe will be Monday through Thursday 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Friday 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and Sunday (Sept. – May) 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
When the Roberts St. location opens, hours will be Monday through Thursday 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Friday 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and Sunday (Sept. – May) 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Northport hours would remain the same Monday through Thursday 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Friday 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Public Comment
Happy Thanksgiving!
Next Board Meeting
The next board meeting is scheduled jointly with the building committee Tuesday, December 19, 2006, at 4:00 p.m. in the City Commission room.
The meeting was adjourned at 4:55 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Monique Andresen