Minutes - 2011 - Eagle Public Library - 07/11/2011 - Regular EAGLE PUBLIC LIBRARY
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
MINUTES
July 11, 2011
Community Room
Board Vice-President Margo Walter called the EPL Board of Trustees meeting to order at 7:02
PM. Present were Board Members Maureen Germano and Nancy Marshall, and Council Liaison
Norm Semanko. President Mary Berent and Member Pete Dover were excused. Also present
were Ron Baker, Library Director, Janice Campbell, Assistant Director, Jeanie Comerford,
Operations Manager, and Terri Lenigan, Administrative Assistant.
Maureen Germano made a motion that the agenda be approved; Nancy Marshall seconded the
motion. The agenda was unanimously approved.
Nancy Marshall made a motion that the minutes for the 13 June 2011 meeting be approved;
Maureen Germano seconded the motion. The minutes were unanimously approved.
Maureen Germano made a motion that the bills be approved for payment; Nancy Marshall
seconded the motion. The bills were unanimously approved for payment.
Friends of the Library Report (Friends' Representative)
Due to the absence of a Friends representative, Director Baker reported that proceeds for the six-
hour"Back Door" sale were $1,170. Many left over books were distributed to Idaho Youth
Ranch, the prison, and Friends of the Emmett Library.
Even though the sale was very successful, donations continue to pour in and space is still at a
premium. The Friends are considering placing a storage unit behind the Library. This would
allow them to store books for future sales without having to continually shift boxes of books. It
will also allow better egress to the room and allow more work space for the day-to-day
operations. As plans develop, the Friends will consult with the City's Public Works
Department.
Director's Report
Statistical reports (handout): If the trend continues, we will exceed our goal of 300,000
circulations. We are on track to realize 325,000 to 335,000 circulations this fiscal year. This
number of circulations reflects FY 2008/09 levels.
Board's meeting with Mayor and Councilman Semanko on Library budget, date and time to be
determined: There will be a special budget workshop with all Board members on Tuesday 12
July at either 11:00 AM or 3:30 PM, yet to be finalized. The Mayor has not advised when he is
available to meet with the Board.
Shared/EPL ADMIN/Board Minutes I I Jul I I
Board's meeting(s) on budget prior to presentation, date(s) and time(s) to be determined: A
meeting is tentatively scheduled for Monday 18 July 2011 at 7:00 PM.
Town Hall meeting on the city budget, 19 July 2011, 6:00 PM, Council Chambers
EPL budget presentation to Council 21 July 2011, 5:30 PM
Library Director out of state, 22 - 25 July 2011
Library Liaison/City Hall Reports (Councilman Semanko)
At the last Council meeting, the Council approved the Eagle River Pavilion Concert series.
Upcoming agenda includes changes to Planning and Zoning fee schedule, investigating health
insurance through the Idaho Government Employees Group, and changes to the downtown retail
parking ordinance. Issues that may be discussed at the 19 July Town Hall meetings may be
annual compensation for the Mayor, restoring the tree voucher program, a 2% franchise fee for
Idaho Power for underground power lines, and live streaming of Council meetings.
Unfinished Business
FY 2011/12 budget issues and process: Director Baker continues to work the Mayor and Frank
Nelson, the Data Specialist at the Idaho Commission for Libraries, to create valid "comparables"
to EPL and updated data. Previously, the Mayor likened EPL to the Lewiston Public Library in
Lewiston, Idaho. During a call to the Director of the Lewiston Public Library, Director Baker
learned that there is no comparison between EPL and Lewiston. Although Lewiston has a
population of 41,000, the Library is housed in a 7,000 square foot building, less than half of the
EPL facility. This small space limits the number of patrons who can use the facility. There is no
room for collections; therefore collections are very sparse and not well developed. There are
very limited services. Since there is no room for a reference desk, there is no reference service.
There is no dedicated Children's Room and few youth services. Circulation is approximately
2/3rds of EPL circulation. The reasons are obvious why their budget of$666,000 is well below
that of EPL. They do not provide anywhere near the level of services that residents of Eagle
enjoy at EPL.
Draft 6 of the Library's FY 2011/12 budget (review): A review of this draft was postponed until
the Tuesday meeting when all Board members will be present. Briefly, the Mayor has suggested
that our budget be in line with the minimum LYNX! membership standards and that we cut
initiatives supported by our strategic plan. This draft revises operating expenses for 49 open
hours per week, lay-off of three part-time employees, and no new discreet collection
development. The bottom line is lower than last year's budget. It does include a special fund to
replace the aging 3M equipment over a period of four years.
Once again, library services are threatened. It has been strongly suggested that we ask patrons to
come to the upcoming Town Hall meeting to show their support for the Library. Nothing spurs
Council action like residents speaking out.
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At this time, Maureen Germano announced that she had to leave the meeting to go back to work.
Losing the quorum, the meeting was adjourned at 8:30 PM. The remainder of the agenda was
tabled.
The remaining Members informally discussed if and how we might get patrons to come to the
Town Hall meeting.
Respectfully submitted,
Terri T. Lenigan
Administrative Assistant
Topics:
Friends "Back Door" sale update
Friends considering storage shed
Board to meet with Mayor and Councilman Semanko
Board to meet prior to budget presentation
Town Hall meeting, 19 July 2001
EPL budget presentation, 21 July 2011
FY 2011/12 budget issues and process update
Draft 6 of Library's FY 2011/12 budget
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