Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutLibrary Board - Minutes - 11/05/1998LIBRARY BOARD MINUTES Regular Meeting - November 5, 1998 6:00 p.m. Council Liaison: Chris Kneeland Staff Liaison: Brenda Cams Phone 221-6670) Chairperson: Jack Steele Phone:225-0877) A regular meeting of the Library Board was held on November 5, 1998 in the Ben Delatour Room at the Main Library. The following Library Board members were present: Anne Ostrye- Macdonald, Rudy Maes, Mary Robertson, Jack Steele, Jacqueline Wallace, and M. Madeline Wawro. Library Board Members Absent: Council Liaison: City Staff Members Present: Friends of the Library Liaison: Ed Jakubauskas Chris Kneeland Brenda Cams, Marjorie Teklits Marian Hershcopf The meeting was called to order at 6:00 p.m. by the Chairperson, Jack Steele. The minutes of the October 8, 1998 Regular Meeting stand as written. Copies of a memo dated October 22nd from the Mayor and City Council to the Larimer County Commissioners regarding Latimer County's Contribution for Library Services was shared with the Board. It suggests that both the County and City implement a plan to overcome the disparity regarding the equity of the contribution from Larimer County for Library services for County residents. Attached to the memo was a copy of the Library Board's memo on the same subject dated October 8, 1998. Brenda Cams mentioned that funding from the County for 1999 will remain the same as it was in 1998 and that she was told some County offices are receiving budget cuts for the coming year. 1 NEW BUSINESS As it was decided to use this meeting as a planning session for the next twelve months, discussion items for the agenda were the past year's accomplishments and areas on which to focus for the coming year. A. 1998 Accomplishments 1998 accomplishments included the Capital Improvements Plan to allow the Library access to Impact Fee money; a proposal to Council on the 1999 budget; a proposal to Council on County contributions for Library services; development of the new Library site -selection criteria; solicitation of public input on the site selection options for the new Main Library; presenting the Board's position on the need for a new Main Library in the downtown area at a Council study session and meeting; update of the "Into the 21" Century" document; continuing to inform and educate Council on the needs of the Library; support of the Public Relations Plan aimed at gaining the business community's support for the Library; and providing input to the development of a Library Foundation Trust program. Regarding the last two items, Anne Ostrye-Macdonald stated that the Annual Report should be worded that the Board produced the Business Grant and developed the Foundation Trust. Jack Steele stated that the Business Grant was a good approach and one that should be built on. Jack Steele also stated that the Board participated in the decision for a new downtown Main Library by contacting Council members. He expressed concern that the Council Resolution refers to a new Library and omits the word "Main." Chris Kneeland said that she thinks there is a lot of community support for the Library to be in the downtown area. Rudy Maes asked where the potential sites are located; Jack Steele said the three potential sites are an extension of the present building in Library Park, a site across from City Hall, and a site near the present parking garage (Mountain and Remington). B) 1999 Areas of Focus 1) New Main Library Downtown: Anne Ostrye-Macdonald said that she would like to see clarification that the new Library to be built in the downtown area would be the new "Main" Library. Chris Kneeland advised the Board to be vigilant in their planning for the new Main Library. 2) Library District: Jacqui Wallace said she felt it would be worthwhile to revisit the discussion about the pros and cons of a Library District. F) Chris Kneeland mentioned that a lot of community interest was generated from a conference earlier this year on the State of the Arts. Arts Alive is looking at a more structured format and ways to broaden their scope. The concept of an art district, although premature at present, might be explored at some point, and the idea of a library, art, and science district could be very appealing. The Arts Alive group have a funding arm and a performing arts arm, and Chris said it would be a good idea for the library to keep in contact with the funding arm as they would be the ones to explore a district. If the art community decides to consider a district as part of their long term plans, it would be good for the Library to consider as well; a combined arts, library and science district would be more successful than a Library District alone. Madeleine Wawro asked if there is a art and library district set-up in Denver, and Chris said that it is a combined art, library and science district. An update on Arts Alive is scheduled for the November 10" City Council Study Session. Chris Kneeland also mentioned there are some legal concerns in Colorado about Library Districts and that the City Attorney's office may have some information about it. Chris Kneeland said that she doesn't see support for the Library growing a great deal and suggested other funding options be explored. A large part of the General Fund comes from the collection of sale tax, and there is concern about the erosion of it. It is becoming more and more popular to purchase items over the Internet, which means the City would lose tax money. If the General Fund budget erodes, Library services would not be a priority. Anne Ostrye-Macdonald suggested having a joint meeting with another Board, such as the Cultural Resources Board. Jack Steele will discuss this with Library Board members to decide if another Board's members should be invited to a Library Board meeting or if the Library Board should go to another Board's meeting. Madeleine Wawro said it would be helpful to speak to people who have succeeded at creating a district. Chris Kneeland will ask Mike Byrne to be the next Library Council Liaison as he would be able to articulate the needs of the Library because of his sincere interest in library services. 3) Two -Year Budget: Jack Steele suggested another area of focus would be to educate City Council on the needs of the Library with regard to the next two-year budget cycle. 4) Improving Public Support: Anne Ostrye-Macdonald would like to see public relations efforts for the business community continued, including the Business Sense newsletter. Mary Robertson said that community outreach would be an important step to improve public relations. Jack Steele said the Board has done 3 public outreach in the past; he feels the young adult group's enthusiasm could go a long way in helping to obtain more public support. Chris Kneeland suggested changing the Library's name to the Fort Collins Public Library and Information Center would help change the way people feel about the Library; the name reflects what the Library can do for the community. Anne Ostrye-Macdonald said changing the name as suggested, and perhaps adding a coffee shop, would help change the Library's image and bring more support from the public to help get a bigger and better Library. Rudy Maes suggested the Friends might be able to handle the contracting for a coffee vendor; Jack Steele said that more information about hiring an outfit to provide this service would have to be investigated as the cart would be located in a City - owned building. Jack Steele agreed that, unless the Library does something different to change its image, everything will remain status quo. Brenda Cams added that efforts are underway to improve some of the Library's appearance by moving Technical Services out of the building in order to free up space for Reference staff and expansion of the Local History area. This would also allow the shifting of media items to the second floor, providing a more attractive entrance to the building. Another suggestion from Chris Kneeland was to offer a purchase discount to book discussion groups. Marian Hershcopf said it might be possible for the Friends of the Library to do this, and then donate the money to the Library. Chris also said the Library could provide a service to the community by acting as a clearing house for these groups, offering advice on how to start a book discussion group, how to get authors, offer book reviews, instruct how to conduct discussion groups, have an book group open house, and encourage people to donate their books to the Library when they no longer need them. Brenda Cams said that because of staff shortages and budget constraints, often when you offer a new service, another service often has to be discontinued. Brenda Cams added that consultants from the State Library are meeting with Library Management Team staff to discuss the formation of an updated Mission Statement as well as areas of focus for the next few years. Jack Steele said that the Board would like to be involved in this planning process and asked to be contacted at the appropriate time; Board involvement could include outreach to the public to decide on which themes to focus. Jack Steele said he would like to discuss the formation of sub -committees for the above focus items at the January meeting and asked Board members to think about which committee best suits their interests. rd 0 Chris Kneeland said the Library Board has done a very good job of being advocates; they should continue to be aware of issues and that their involvement is critical. She concluded by saying there is a need to fundamentally change the Library and to have the community view it differently than it does at present. Fort Collins is a highly literate community; the Library has to be an integral part of the community, valued to the point where people say they love to be at the Library. Library Board members thanked Chris for her input and for taking part in their planning discussions. The meeting was adjourned at 8:05 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Marjorie Teklits Library Secretary Approved at the January 14, 1999 Library Board Meeting 5