Loading...
Minutes - 2009 - Eagle Public Library - 04/13/2009 - Regular EAGLE PUBLIC LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES MINUTES April 13, 2009 Community Room Board President Margo Walter called the EPL Board of Trustees meeting to order at 7:03 PM. Present were Board Members Danae Curtis,Nancy Marshall, Mary Berent, Councilman Norm Semanko, Library Director Ron Baker, Terri Lenigan, Administrative Assistant, Jeanie Comerford, EPL Operations Manager, Janice Campbell, EPL Assistant Director, and President Jeanie Farnworth, Friends of the Library. Special guests attending were Friends Board members Anne Ritter and Julia Gleed, and Joe Estrella, a reporter for the Idaho Statesman. Mary Berent requested that an item, "Tax Allocation"be added to the New Business section of the agenda. Nancy Marshall made a motion that the agenda be approved as amended; Danae Curtis seconded the motion and the amended agenda was unanimously approved. Director Baker noted that the title for Sharon Bergmann should be corrected to City Clerk/Treasurer on the March 9, 2009 minutes. Mary Berent made a motion that the minutes be approved as corrected;Nancy Marshall seconded the motion and the corrected minutes were unanimously approved. Danae Curtis 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) President Farnworth introduced her executive officers, Anne Ritter, Treasurer and Julia Gleed, Secretary. The Friends are very busy keeping up with donations, which just keep on arriving. Their inventory will determine when the next book sale will be held. They have decided to discontinue the large, annual fall book sale and concentrate their efforts on smaller, more frequent sales, which generate as much income as the one annual sale. These monies, coupled with the proceeds from the "Every Day Book Sale,"which average $175 per week, provide the Friends with ample income to help support the Library. Books left over from the sale are generally given to the Ada County Jail Library and/or the Idaho Youth Ranch. The Friends were please to lend their support to the Friends from Emmett Public Library. During a joint luncheon meeting, the EPL Friends exchanged ideas, offered support, and made suggestions on how to organize and run a Friends group. The luncheon culminated with a tour of the Eagle facility. Director's Report Statistical Reports: Please refer to the handouts. Circulation statistics are up, despite a slight decline from Boise and steady numbers from Ada patrons. Resignation of Board Member Aaron Ricks: Aaron Ricks has resigned to pursue a full- time command in Afghanistan. LYNX! Open Access Committee: progress: Discussion of a new reimbursement contract has been deferred for discussion of the revised"Hold"policy. Previously,patrons were able to place up to 20 items on hold per card, depending upon consortium agency. Under the new policy, starting May 1, 2009, patrons will be allowed to place only five items on hold per card. All Consortium libraries within the Treasure Valley have approved this change. This cost and staff saving measure will ensure continuation of the gratis hold policy allowing a maximum number of patrons access to all library materials. Patrons may make use of the "My List" feature to create lists for holds and as reminders of items they would like to check out. Training will be provided for those patrons interested in building their list. The next meeting of the LYNX! Directors is scheduled for June 19, 2009. Reimbursement issues will be on the agenda once again. Kevin Booe, Director for Boise Public Library, will hopefully call a meeting of the committee before that date to discuss new reimbursement language in the LYNX! Contract. New Web Page: Plans are under way to accelerate completion of the new web page. However, completed or not,the new web page will be made public as near to May 1, 2009, as possible. Unfinished portions can be updated as time allows. Library Liaison/City Hall Reports (Councilman Semanko) The budget crunch has necessitated a 40% citywide reduction of staff and expenditures. The contract with Ada County Sheriffs Department has been re-negotiated. Chief Hippe assures the citizens that there are adequate levels of protection in place despite the reduction in force. Steve Guerber has resigned from the City Council and Jeanne Jackson-Heim has been appointed to fill out this term. Mrs. Jackson-Heim brings her experience as a former Mayor of Jackson, Wyoming,to the position. She has been involved in real estate for many years and is currently the Executive Director of the Idaho Real Estate Commission. City Council meetings will be held on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of each month. Pre- council sessions begin at 5:30 PM. and Regular Council begins at 6:30 PM. Unfinished Business Public hours after 1 May 2009 (Action Item): At the April 9, 2009 staff meeting, Director Baker read a prepared statement regarding a Reduction-In-Force (RIF). Due to economic circumstances, changes are necessary to the current library schedule. Library hours will be cut from 58 hours per week to 40 hours per week, with appropriate staffing cuts. The new hours proposed by the Staff to take effect on 1 May 2009 are: Monday through Wednesday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday Closed Friday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday Closed These hours take into account the Library's busiest hours and will provide service times for most segments of the population: morning hours for children's programming and seniors, after school hours, after work hours, and Saturday hours. Refer to the Director's Memo for more detailed information. Banners to advertise the new hours will be posted on the Stierman and parking lot sides of the building. According to City ordinance, they may be displayed for thirty days. Sandwich boards will also be used to announce the new hours. The Friends have agreed to pay for these signs. EPL is the first of the area libraries to cut hours. Management staff has acknowledged that with shortened hours, we will be busier hour by hour and recognized the need for a strong circulation staff to handle the anticipated longer patron lines to check out materials. They have also discussed what funding is necessary to restore hours/staff. To restore a full day on Saturday and one evening, or two evenings requires the re-hire of two 19-hour positions at approximately $21,000. Danae Curtis made a motion to approve changing open hours from 58 to 40 per week as proposed by the management staff;Nancy Marshall seconded the motion, which passed unanimously. New Business Library closure on Saturday, June 13, 2009 for Eagle Fun Days (Action Item): As a safety precaution,the Mayor has requested that we close the library parking lot on Saturday, June 13, 2009, during Eagle Fun Days. Without access to the parking lot, it will be very difficult for patrons to use the library. Therefore, Director Baker proposed that we close the Library for the day. Nancy Marshall made a motion to close the library on Saturday, June 13, 2009 for Eagle Fun Days; :Mary Berent seconded the motion, which passed unanimously. 2009 suspension of Board decision prohibiting registration for EPL summer reading program by BPL patrons (Action Item): Previously,the Board had passed a motion to prohibit BPL patrons from registering in the EPL summer reading program. At that time, the new BPL branch at Cole and Ustick was to have been completed and open for business the first week of June, giving patrons in that location access to a summer reading program. However, to comply with environmental codes, a three-week off-gassingin the building is necessary, which delays opening day to at least July 1, 2009. Therefore,those BPL patrons in that area will not have a library to go to for a summer reading program. Considering the circumstances,the Board should rescind the previous motion and suspend prohibiting registration for this year. Danae Curtis made a motion to rescind the previous motion and allow BPL patrons to register at the 2008 EPL summer reading program;Nancy Marshall seconded the motion, which passed unanimously. Recruitment of new Board Member: Recruiting a new Board Member should be delayed until after the Reduction-In-Force and restructuring of the library. After May 1, 2009, a vacancy notice will be posted on the web page and any interested parties my contact either Director Baker or President Walter. Tax Allocation: During budget negotiation for the current fiscal year, the City Council elected not to impose a three percent raise in property tax as allowed by state law. Councilman Semanko pointed out that this decision did not affect the library budget. The City Council decided to hold the Library harmless and kept the Library budget as proposed for FY 80/09. Discussion ensued. Additional Items or Comments There were no additional items or comments. EXECUTIVE SESSION: Personnel I.C.,67-2345(a) or(b): At 8:18 PM., Mary Berent made the motion to call an Executive Session to discuss Personnel I.C., 67-2345(a) or(b);Nancy Marshall seconded the motion. The Executive Session ended at 8:58 PM and a regular meeting of the Board continued. Selection of Next Meeting The next meeting of the Board of Trustees will be Monday, May 11, 2009 at 7:00 PM in the Community Room. The Director and Board Member Mary Berent both stated that they might be out of state that day, pending travel plans. The Board decided to meet anyway due to the necessity of timely bill payment. Adjournment There being no further business,the meeting was adjourned at 9:03 PM. Respectfully Submitted, Terri T. Lenigan Administrative Assistant Topics: Resignation of Board Member Aaron Ricks LYNX! Open Access Committee: New Holds Policy New Web Page: Debut May 1, 1009 Change to Public Hours starting May 1, 2009 Library to close Saturday, June 13, 2009 for Eagle Fun Days Rescind Board decision to prohibit BPL patrons from registering for EPL 2008 summer reading program Recruitment of new Board Member Tax allocation—Property tax vs. Library budget