April 16, 2002 Minutes
Board of Trustees
Fargo Public Library
Minutes of April 16, 2002
Present: Board Members Virginia Dambach, Betty Kerns, Jean Rayl and Prakash Mathew
Library Director Charles Pace
Staff Members: Edie Discher, Beth Postema, Steve Hubbard, Nancy Giere, Diane Briggs, Monique Andresen and Friends Liaison Bob Mason
Order of Agenda
Betty Kerns made the motion to approve the order of agenda with an addition to New Business: a resolution to thank formally the Friends of the Fargo Public Library for all of their support. Jean Rayl seconded the motion; the motion carried.
Minutes
There are no additions to the minutes at this time.
Staff Reports
Nancy Giere reported on the temporary policy of no fines on the bookmobile. This has been very well accepted. The patrons have been very appreciative, and the overall status of overdue books has remained the same. Day care groups are allowing children to check out more books, increasing circulation. A reminder still goes out for overdue books. After six weeks, the patron is billed for the book. If the book is returned, there is a fine of $4. Many patrons have asked if this policy will also be implemented in the children’s room of the main library.
Steve Hubbard reported on the Public Library Association conference held in Phoenix, AZ, March 13-16, 2002. He was very appreciative of the opportunity to attend such an event and found several presentations very helpful and interesting. The following are some of the presentations and exhibits he was able to attend.
An ordained minister with a Ph.D. in Library Science and a Ph.D. in Theology gave a presentation on ethics, which Diane Briggs and Lori West also attended. This dealt with difficult issues such as privacy rights of patrons. All felt a presentation on the Library Code of Ethics and confidentiality would be an appropriate topic for a future staff development meeting.
Another presentation regarding lighting in libraries included slides of examples how not to light a library. The recommendations were indirect florescent lighting, which our architect is incorporating into the Southpointe Branch Library.
As a point of interest, Steve also attended a presentation about designing a reference desk. This was an excellent example of the process of working with an architect to get a final product that exceeds expectations. The architects came up with a solution in this example to have a motorized work surface that can be raise and lower by touch to fit all the staff ergonomically.
The presentation on the topic of marketing pointed to the private sector as a tool for marketing public libraries. On average, 50% of patrons come to the library to browse. They emphasized having books face out so patrons can see the covers as in book stores, and making good use of the end-caps of the aisles as in grocery stores. The public library can get very good results borrowing some of these private sector marketing tactics.
Several exhibitors attended with information regarding electronic sign up for the Internet. These systems may act as a debit card for printing and photocopy charges as well as Internet access. Currently, we have an honor system in place, which works most of the time. With an electronic system in place, the staff time would be used more efficiently.
Diane Briggs reported on the Public Library Association conference. Again, she was in awe at the possibilities and ideas she was able to bring back to Fargo. All we need to implement some of these ideas is more staff and a larger budget. She attended several table talks and presented a table talk on the Team Approach to Management. Some of the table talk topics included; how to get published in professional journals, policies and procedures, and literacy. The literacy talk included involving the parents with young children as an approach for both generations to learn. This, paired with cultural programs may be beneficial for the learning process of people in our community new to America.
A second presentation regarding marketing, called How to Sell your Library, emphasized staff presentation more so than the facility. An open, smiling and friendly look will gain trust and create a comfortable environment for patrons while a closed look may turn away patrons.
Diane Briggs also commented on the closing and opening presentations. An orchestra conductor gave the opening presentation, which related the operations of a library to a song. At first, the song needs practice; by adding interest, enthusiasm and passion, it gets better. The completed project has the entire audience or staff working together to create a synergy that was not there before. Just think of ALL THE POSSIBILITIES.
LSSI Management Report
The ODIN Steering Committee met in Carrington, ND, on April 2, 2002. After a very lengthy series of discussions, we selected three vendors to come out and do demonstrations. The vendors chosen for these initial demonstrations are Innovative Interfaces, Endeavour, and ExLibris. The vendor demonstrations will be held in Grand Forks, ND, over the next couple of months. Each vendor will have two days to present their product to the Steering Committee and the members of the evaluation teams. Edie Discher and Pam Strait will be serving on the public access evaluation team while Lori West will be serving on the Circulation team. The implementation of the new automation system should be completed by September 2003.
Work is underway on the implementation of the opening day collection contract. A series of conference calls were held last week with Scott Schuster and other employees of Baker and Taylor to begin the evaluation and ordering process for the new storefront collection. Selection lists will be coming soon.
The new display units have been set up on the library floor and serve to give the reading area a more open feeling. We are planning to paint part of the wall behind the YA Computer Center with the intent to make it a more attractive and “teen friendly” area.
Library Newsletter:
Friends of the library book sale raised over $1,800 on April 15, 2002. The story quilt program will be April 16, 2002. Multimedia will be used to create a square for our National Library Week story quilt. Once finished, the quilt will be on display in the Youth Services area. A family sing-along will be held on April 18, 2002. A volunteer recognition luncheon will be held on Wednesday, April 24, 2002. Last year our volunteers donated a total of 2,337 hours and served the library in an impressive range of activities. Board members are invited to attend. The Friends of the Library will be hosting an open house April 19, 2002, with guided tours, free coffee, and cookies.
Storefront Library Status:
All furnishings and finishes for the branch have now been selected. Bids came in under budget. We will be including the coffee bar and lighting add-ons. Following discussions with the staff we are recommending the following hours for the Southpointe facility: Tuesday through Thursday 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Sunday and Monday closed. These hours would be in place for the first few months and will be changed if the circumstances or community demand warrant it.
Gates Grant:
All computers, peripherals, and furniture for the new lab have been ordered. These items should be arriving over the next several weeks. The lab is expected to be fully operational by mid-May. The arrangement chosen will allow the electrical wiring and computer cabling to be placed in conduits underneath the computer tables themselves. This will avoid any unsightly and potentially dangerous wires lying about on the floor.
Library on Wheels:
On April 1, 2002, Charles Pace had the opportunity to present our idea for a rural bookmobile service to the Cass County commission. Essentially, the county agreed to consider this idea. A tour to some of the towns in rural Cass County would be a means of promoting this idea and showing the citizens what type of service they would be getting.
Library Public Relations Campaign:
We are currently planning a major public relations campaign for this summer. This campaign will feature billboards, posters, banners, and flyers. We are also purchasing space on the back of grocery store receipts given out at all Hornbacher’s stores in Fargo. The purpose of this campaign is to reach non-library users and to promote the opening of the Southpointe Branch Library. This information will be submitted to the American Library Association in hopes that we will be able to win the John Cotton Dana Award, which is given annually for excellence in library public relations.
Staff News and Reports:
Margo Askin will be leaving us at the end of April. She will be missed and we wish her and her husband well in their future endeavors.
The search for a youth librarian continues, so far we have not been successful in filling the position.
Beth Postema has been promoted to Deputy Director of the Fargo Public Library. Her new assignment will start April 29, 2002. Congratulations Beth.
Statistical Reports
The March statistics reflect continued growth in Circulation. Total print was up 9%; total non-print was up by 32%, while total circulation was up 14%. Internet signup increased by 6% over last year at this time, while electronic activity increased by 7%.
Friends of Fargo Public Library Report
The next meeting of the Friends of the Fargo Public Library will be Tuesday, June 11. Ginny Duval and Sarah Lindberg are coordinating nominations for five new board members to be elected at that time.
Books will be relocated to the space behind the current area to accommodate the computer lab April 29, 2002.
$7,500 will be donated for support of the Children’s Castle at the Southpointe Branch Library.
The Friends of the Fargo Public Library paid for the city parking lot to be open April 15, 2002, during the 1-Day Book Sale, which brought in $1,850. This was very successful when compared to the 2-Day sale in December, which made $1,600. Plans are underway for the next book sale in July.
Funding of the coffee bar will continue for one year with a reevaluation at that time.
Continuing Business
A. Approval of bid for branch construction
Prakash Mathew moved to approve the construction and furnishing bids for the branch construction. Betty Kerns seconded the motion; the motion carried.
B. Request to approve branch hours
Jean Rayl moved to approve the proposed hours of the Southpointe Branch Library: Tuesday through Thursday 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Sunday and Monday closed. These hours would be in effect for the summer months with reevaluation in the fall. Betty Kerns seconded the motion; the motion carried.
C. Request to make bookmobile no fines policy permanent
Betty Kerns moved to make the no fines policy for the bookmobile permanent. Prakash Mathew seconded the motion; the motion carried.
New Business
A. Request for permission to dispatch bookmobile on county tour and for accompanying temporary waiver of non-resident fees
The tour would consist of three to four visits within a three-month period to several communities in Cass County. This would help build support for a petition for library services in the smaller communities. The bookmobile does not run on Wednesdays during the summer, so it would not affect current services to Fargo residents. The tour would run from the last week in May to the second week in August promoted by flyers, press releases and volunteers. Prakash Mathew moved to approve a bookmobile county tour and temporary waiver of non-resident fees. Jean Rayl seconded the motion; the motion carried.
B. Board resolution regarding the retention of the musical “Hair” in our library collection
Betty Kerns moved to retain the musical “Hair” in our library collection. Jean Rayl seconded the motion; the motion carried.
C. Board resolution to thank the Friends of the library formally for their generous support of the Southpointe Branch and the Fargo Public Library
Jean Rayl moved to thank the Friends formally for their generous support of the Southpointe Branch and the Fargo Public Library. Betty Kerns seconded the motion; the motion carried.
Public Comment
There was no public comment at this time.
Next Board Meeting
The next board meeting will be held Tuesday, June 4, 2002, at 4:00 p.m. in the meeting room.
The meeting was adjourned at 5:05 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Monique Andresen