Minutes - 2008 - Eagle Public Library - 07/07/2008 - Regular EAGLE PUBLIC LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES
MINUTES
July 07, 2008
Community Room
Board President Margo Walter called the EPL Board of Trustees meeting to order at 7:33
PM. Present were Board Members Jane Marrs and Danae Curtis,Nancy Marshall,
Aaron Ricks, Library Director Ron Baker, EPL Administrative Assistant Terri Lenigan
and Council Liaison Norm Semanko.
Jane Marrs made a motion that the agenda be approved as written;Nancy Marshall
seconded the motion and the agenda was unanimously approved.
Danae Curtis made a motion that the minutes for the June 09, 2008 meeting be approved
as written; Jane Mans seconded the motion and the minutes were unanimously approved.
Jane Marrs made a motion that the bills be approved for payment;Nancy Marshall
seconded the motion and the bills were unanimously approved for payment.
Friends of the Library Report(Friends' President)
Director Baker reported in the absence of the Friends' President. The Friends are
planning their fall book sale to be held in the Community Room, October date to be
confirmed. Despite the success of the parking lot sale earlier this year,they have decided
to hold their annual fall sale in the Community Room, as done in previous years. There
should be enough volunteers to help set up and run the weekend sale.
Directors Report
Summer Reading Program: second report:
Statistics as of June 30, 2008:
• Sign-up: 1,288 for all ages
• Program Attendance: 3,000 attendees: 2,695 Children 305 Adults
• Program Presenters & Adult Volunteers: 10
• Youth/Teen Volunteers: 58
The month of July is packed with more programs. On July 19th, don't forget to come by
and"Check Out The Wheels" in the parking lot north of City Hall. There will be a wide
variety of vehicles to check out. Have fun building a"Meadow Gold racecar" and enjoy
an ice cream bar. Fun for the whole family.
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Staff vacancies and replacements: Recruitment for the two part-time circulation
assistant vacancies is still on hold until there is a better sense of city income for next year
and what will be budgeted for personnel. Fortunately, we have enough temporary and
substitute employees to fill these positions as a short-term solution.
The Technical Services Assistant position has been filled with two half-time positions.
The new hires will start on Tuesday, July 08, 2008.
Assistant Director Janice Campbell is scheduled for a complete knee replacement on
December 08, 2008 and will be on leave for 2 months. Director Baker and Youth
Librarian Diane Matejka-Lund will be cross-trained for order/acquisitions and accounting
procedures for sub-accounts.
AG opinions on open gun law: status: At the last Board meeting, discussion ensued
regarding questions BPL had for the Attorney General for clarification:
1) Can public libraries be considered educational institutions by current law, thereby,
assigning libraries among the places that civilians may not bear arms?
2) Can library employees be prevented from bearing arms?
Ken Harwood, President of the Association of Idaho Cities (AIC), felt it would be
inappropriate for Boise City to put forward the request, but that it should come from a
legislator. Representative Les Bock has submitted these questions to the Attorney
General and we look forward to the response.
Expenditure report and order for non-fiction range: Each Board member received a
copy of the Operational and Capital Account Expenditures as of 09 June 08 report. This
report details amounts budgeted for each account with the remaining amount in each
account and the percent spent. Director Baker has decided to spend the remaining
monies form Account .74-00 (Capital/Equipment) on a 12-range section of shelving for
adult non-fiction, to be installed in September.
Library Liaison/City Hall Reports (Councilman Norm Semanko)
Councilman Semanko was proud to report to Council that the Library was the only city
department to present their budget on time.
Councilman Semanko reported highlights of the previous City Council Meeting, which
included discussion of:
• Covered Loads Ordinance
• Helicopter Landing Ban
• Funding for the Town Informer
• Proposed 3-storey building on the corner of Eagle and State streets
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Councilman Semanko also reported on the status of the SunCor planned community,
Avimor. At a council meeting held there,the SunCor Representative reported that they
are selling one unit per week, sometimes using such non-traditional approaches as buying
a homeowners' existing house as an incentive to move to Avimor. They anticipate that it
will take approximately 30 years to build totally the community to a population of
30,000. There was no discussion about services or a future library facility.
Unfinished Business
Budget proposal to Council: Several changes have been made to the budget.
Responsibility for Account .59-00 (M&O Building/Grounds) and Account .50-00
(Custodial/Cleaning Services)was transferred to the City Public Works department. The
Comp & Class study has been received from the Mercer Group. The total cost to
implement the suggested changes is $117,000. Of that, the library department portion is
approximately $72,000. However, there was one $6,000 class error in the report coupled
with some administration and supervisory changes, the library portion should be down to
$63,000. This will change the bottom line to approximately $108,000. The study results
will be presented at a pre-council meeting.
On Monday, July 14, 2008 at 1:00 PM, there will be a special Council meeting to discuss
the budget.
Part-time employee leave benefits: A memo from Director Baker outlined the staff
recommendations for leave and holiday benefits for part-time staff. Essentially,the staff
recommends that 19-hour employees receive 4 hours of paid time for each holiday and 4
hours of paid annual leave per month. This will promote goodwill especially with several
of our long-serving employees. The Mercer Group report may also recommended these
benefits for part-time employees. Councilman Semanko suggested that this be given to
the Mayor to be put on the Council agenda.
Jane Marrs made a motion to accept part-time benefits as written in Director Baker's
memo, contingent upon the Mercer Group recommendation. The motion was seconded
by Danae Curtis, which unanimously passed.
Dedication of children's statue: Director Baker has mailed a letter to the Bakers asking
for a date so we can schedule the dedication.
New Business
Inter-Library Loan (ILL) Policy: A Consortium wide meeting was held to discuss to
impact of ILL and member use. An increase in use of inter-library loans has been noted
between Mountain Home Public Library and Boise Public Library. The guidelines
presented ascribe to national guidelines; refer to the handout Interlibrary Loan
Guidelines. Director Baker wanted the Board to be aware of this policy, especially the
section regarding the $5 fee for failure to pick up an inter-library loan. It is the Board's
prerogative to set fees, however, at this date, we cannot find when the Board approved
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this fee. Director Baker will do further research to find documentation for this fee. It
should be noted that the cost to provide this service is extremely high. The $5 fee acts as
a deterrent to patrons for failure to pick up the requested items. However, it is the one fee
that circulation staff will routinely waive if given a reasonable excuse.
Additional Items or Public Comment
Internet access and library patrons: Recently, a patron complained of users'
inappropriate use of the public computers. Her concerns were that she had noted several
tech lab incidents during the past month and the impacts on children sitting next to adults
viewing questionable material. She asked to present her concerns to the Board, however,
did not attend the meeting. During a conversation with the patron, Director Baker did
explain our Internet policy, which states that patrons should avoid Web pages exhibiting
nudity and/or explicit sexual behaviors. The policy also addresses the use of computers
by minors, filtered and unfiltered computers, and the ultimate responsibility for proper
Internet use in a public setting.
When alerted to improper computer use,the user is given either a written or verbal
warning. The first warning alerts the user that a complaint has been received regarding
viewing an inappropriate Internet site and the user is asked to observe EPL policy. A
second complaint requests the user log-off and the Director is notified. The Director then
has the prerogative to ban patrons from Internet use for a specific period of time. In the
past five years, only three users have been banned. The patron felt that the warnings
could be more strongly worded and inquired about installing privacy screens. However,
privacy screens may encourage increased use of inappropriate sites, since it limits casual
observation. Library staff does not monitor computer activities by the public, but does
respond to patron complaints.
Selection of next meeting date: The next Board meeting will be held on August 11,
2008 at 7:30 PM in the Library Community Room.
Adjournment: There being no further business,Nancy Marshall made a motion to
adjourn the meeting; Aaron Ricks seconded. The meeting was adjourned at 9:24 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
Terri T. Lenigan
EPL Administrative Assistant
enc. Operational and Capital Account Expenditures Report as of 09 June 08
Youth Activity Calendar for July 2008
Director Memorandum: Partial Leave Benefits for 19-hour Employees
Interlibrary Loan Guidelines
Internet Access and Library Patrons Policy
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Topics:
Summer Reading Program: Statistic for June 2008
Staff vacancies and replacements
AG opinions on open gun law: status update
Expenditure Report/order for non-fiction range
Budget proposal to Council
Part-time leave benefits
Dedication of children's statue: update
Inter-Library Loan Policy
Internet access and patron use
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