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Minutes - 2011 - Eagle Public Library - 01/10/2011 - Regular EAGLE PUBLIC LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES MINUTES January 10, 2011 Community Room Board President Mary Berent called the EPL Board of Trustees meeting to order at 7:00 PM. Present were Board Members Maureen Germano and Nancy Marshall. Board Member Margo Walter was excused. Also present were Ron Baker, Library Director, Jeanie Comerford, Operations Manager, Terri Lenigan, Administrative Assistant, Carol Berry, Circulation Manager, Micah Marshall, IT Specialist, and Joan Spriggs, Strategic Plan Committee Staff Representative. Council Liaison Norm Semanko arrived at 7:16 PM. Maureen Germano made a motion to approve the agenda as written; Nancy Marshall seconded the motion and the agenda was unanimously approved. Maureen Germano made a motion that the minutes for the 13 December 2010 meeting be approved; Nancy Marshall seconded the motion and the minutes were unanimously approved. Nancy Marshall made a motion that the bills be approved for payment; Maureen Germano 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 a Friend's member. Marti Taylor will be the new Friends' liaison to the Library. The Friends are in the process of restructuring their organization in hopes of attracting more members and attendance at meetings. They feel that the Library is somewhat isolated from the community and would like to establish more collaboration and cooperation with other community groups. Due to the extreme number of donations received since the fall sale, the Friends have scheduled an overstock sale for Saturday, 19 February from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM in the Community Room. Due to a massive effort by Janice Campbell, many multiple copies of adult fiction are being withdrawn and will also be offered for sale. Director's Report Statistical reports (handout): At the Mayor's request, service statistics were compiled for the past three fiscal years, (refer to Service Statistics handout.) These statistics highlight how the cut backs in hours and staff have significantly altered public service offered at the Library. The Mayor has scheduled a workshop for 18 January at 5:30 PM to discuss how the cut backs have affected public service city-wide and what can be done to restore and improve city services. Shared/EPL ADMIN/Board Minutes 10 Jan 201 I Total circulation continues to improve over this time last year showing an 8% increase. Children's programming and reference service also show increased activity over this time last year. December reciprocal borrowing by Library indicates ACL usage has increased to 14%; BPL usage remains around 16%; EPL remains in the mid-60 percent range. There are approximately 1,000 more EPL cardholders than those at this time last year. Compact shelving installation/workroom remodel: This item is on the City Council agenda for 11 January. No decision will be made until construction costs are known for the additional bathroom and other upgrades required by the Sheriff's Department, putting this project on hold until further notice. We had initially thought that the shelving installation in the garage might conflict with the Friends' February sale. However, this works to our advantage in that the Friends sale will happen prior to any remodeling. Most of the inventory will be out of the garage, allowing much needed space to re-configure the area more easily. Problem with patron, update: To preserve anonymity, any reference to the patron's name has been removed from the minutes for last month's meeting. Since receiving the letter, Director Baker and this patron have had a conversation. This patron was quite contrite and did not realize his behavior was problematic. Because he is so deaf, he cannot hear himself and did not realize how loudly he speaks. He does rely on the Library extensively, especially for interlibrary loans. He believes the staff is quite efficient. He will bring any future problems directly to the Director's attention. Since receiving the letter, there have been no problems and he continues to make heavy use of our facility. Annual Report to Idaho Commission for Libraries: The Annual Report is due on Monday, 31 January 2011. Since the Director will be out of state the last week of January, plans are to complete the report by Monday, 25 January, allowing enough time to mail the report to Idaho Falls. Director out of state: Jan 26—31. Library Liaison/City Hall Reports (Councilman Semanko) Highlights of the upcoming Council meeting include a hearing on the Downtown Eagle Plan, appointment of a Council President, the City Services workshop scheduled for 18 January, and the 2nd Urban Renewal Agency workshop. Don't forget to have coffee with the Mayor at Perks of Life. Unfinished Business Board member vacancy and replacement: President Berent did contact Terri Bath, former Chamber of Commerce President, as a possible candidate. However, Ms. Bath is moving to Reno, Nevada. Director Baker will contact Gretchen Gilbert, the current Chamber President, to solicit any suggestions and ask to post an announcement e-mail to the membership seeking interested candidates. Shared/EPL ADMIN/Board Minutes 10 Jan 2011 2 Strategic Plan, update and handout: Due to the outcome of the budget process which restored some library services, major re-writing was required for much of the plan originally drafted last spring. Four main sections have been completed, (refer to handout.) Other sections will be e- mailed as they become available. Currently, the proposed extension plan expires on 30 September 2012. Director Baker has suggested that the extension plan be extended an additional year. This would allow enough time to develop a new five-year plan. For example, should the Director retire in the next two years, having that extra year would allow the in-coming Director time to "acclimate" and to provide leadership during a new strategic plan process. Maureen Germano made a motion to extend the time frame of the extension plan to 30 September 2013. Nancy Marshall seconded and the motion passed unanimously. New Business Reconfiguring Internet Access (Action Item): In the original LYNX! agreement, BPL was assigned to be the Internet provider. At that time, the frame relay was state-of-the-art equipment. However, technology has evolved and plans are to move to a VPN (Virtual Private Network) by March 2011. This new system will be tested at the Nampa Public Library during February. Because staff internet is still provided by a split frame relay signal, they are hampered by very slow internet connectivity. Converting to a VPN allows EPL the opportunity to upgrade its internet connectivity. Of constant complaint and concern is the slow internet speed for staff and patrons. Currently, the Library has a separate DSL line for patron internet use. It provides 7mb/s bandwidth, but the nature of public use is compromising speed. Staff recommends adding a second DSL line for patron use and a third line split between staff and the VPN for Horizon. This solution would allow staff computers faster speeds, thereby increasing efficiency and productivity, (refer to handout memo titled "Staff and Patron Internet Speed Issues.) Maureen Germano made a motion to implement Staff recommendations for two new DSL lines and other improvements as outlined in the memo "Staff and Patron Internet Speed Issues." Nancy Marshall seconded the motion which passed unanimously. 3M workstation scanner issue: The 3M workstations, the work horse of the Circulation Department, are old and we are experiencing random failure on some of the scanner hardware. This aging hardware has lost the ability to tolerate any imperfections while reading the bar code label. Thus, more and more often, staff must manually type in the bar code number, reducing efficiency during check-in and check-out operations. Per our 3M service agreement, broken hardware or software is to be fixed or replaced. Our current service agreement expires in May of this year. Although the 3M technicians have worked at trying to keep this aging hardware in working order, lately, 3M has been stalling and trying to delay replacing the defective scanners. Their contention is that the scanners are no longer manufactured and new units are difficult to find. They have been replacing our defective scanners with rebuilt ones that have not worked long-term. We fear they are stringing us along until May, at which time they will not renew our contract. Without a service contract, we would be forced to purchase new equipment. However, this equipment would not be state of the art and would only be a stopgap measure, not a permanent solution. We would like to preserve our relationship with 3M and not have to take any legal action against them. Director Baker will forward a copy of the service agreement to Shared/EPL,ADMIN/Board Minutes 10 Jan 201 I 3 the City Attorney for her review and recommendation. We would appreciate her insight to any leverage we might have to resolve this issue. RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) chipping is the wave of the future. However, chip readers will cost $3,000 - $4,000 each, plus the cost of chips for each library item. This technology should be considered during the next budget process, either as new capital equipment or setting up a reserve account for a future purchase. IT Specialist Micah Marshall will get quotes for RFID readers and the latest version of 3M workstations. Additional Items or Public Comment There were no additional items or public comment. Selection of Next Meeting Date The next meeting of the EPL Board of Trustees is scheduled for Monday, 7 February 2011 at 7:00 PM in the Library Community Room. Adjournment President Berent adjourned the meeting at 8:55 PM. Respectfully submitted, Terri T. Lenigan Administrative Assistant Motions: Extend Strategic Plan extension to 30 September 2013 Add new DSL line to improve internet speed Topics: Compact shelving update Problem with patron update Annual Report to ID Commission for Libraries due 31 Jan 2011 Board member vacancy update Strategic Plan update Reconfiguring Internet access 3M workstation scanner issue Shared/EPL ADMIN/Board Minutes 10 Jan 2011 4