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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLibrary Board - Minutes - 09/09/2004LIBRARY BOARD MINUTES REGULAR MEETING - SEPTEMBER 9, 2004 6:00 P.M. Council Liaison: Marty Tharp Acting Staff Liaison: Carson Block (Phone 221-6662) Chairperson: Ralph Olson A regular meeting of the Library Board was held on September 9, 2004 in the Ben Delatour Room of the Main Library at 201 Peterson Street. The following Library Board members were present: Bob Burns, Rudy Maes, Don Oehlerts, Ralph Olson, and Mary Robertson. Library Board Member Absent: City Staff Members Present: Friends of the Library Liaison: Guests: Melissa Pattison Carson Block and Marjorie Teklits Absent Jean Blaylock, League of Women Voters The meeting was called to order at 6:00 p.m. by Chairperson Ralph Olson. Don Oehlelrts moved to approve the minutes of the August 12, 2004 meeting; Bob Bums seconded the motion, and it was unanimously approved. Corresoondence: Mary shared a draft of her Soapbox article for The Coloradoan regarding the importance of technology funding. She will submit it after making a few suggested revisions. The question of whether money for technology is part of the library's budget; Carson said it is separate from the budget, and that is another reason why it is so important to achieve renewed funding. Reports/Presentations: a. Director's Report - Carson Block Copies of the Director's Report were included with packets. Carson mentioned that City staff and the developer of the Lifestyle Center are working on general contract discussions, and basic requirements for a branch library are being provided. Efforts to repeal the grocery tax have been postponed until next April's election. Mary said this would give the City time to put together an educational campaign for the public that should include information about affects to City services if it is approved. Carson mentioned that the new Training/Reference Librarian will be on board September 13s'. Besides taking over training responsibilities, this position will act as liaison to other library staff who provide input regarding modifications to the system. As mentioned in previous reports, Systems Administration staff have been working on the various phases of recovery following a virus which affected the system last July. They have just completed quality assurance and are about to enter the last phase which will result in enhanced performance. The Summer Reading Program officially ended August 3 Vt. 6,265 children registered (14% higher than last year), and 1,143 teens. Ralph asked if staff track the people who return year after year; Carson said he isn't sure, but that it would be a good endorsement for the program. Bob asked if demographic information about the registrants is available, and Carson said he will ask the Adult and Children's Lead Librarians. Bob said simple bar charts would be beneficial and Ralph said this would be good to include in the next quarterly newsletter. Carson thanked the following Board members for volunteering at the Library's NewWestFest table: Ralph Olson, Don Oehlerts, Melissa Pattison, Rudy Maes, Mary Robertson, and Joan Scheuerman. Appreciation is also extended to Jean Pemberton and Lorrie Wagner from the Friends of the Library. In addition, Carson thanked Joan Scheuerman and family for volunteering at the Annie Walk. A flier from the City regarding vacancies on the various Boards and Commissions was shared with the Board. Staff were waiting to see the outcome of the sales tax repeal until contacting applicants for the Bilingual Outreach position, but now that the election has been postponed, the hiring process will be resumed. Bob said there has been a lot in the newspapers about new overtime laws and asked if there has been any impact to the City. Carson said he hasn't heard of any. Staff are more concerned about salaries remaining frozen and increases in insurance costs. b. Friends of the Library Although a liaison from the Friends was not at tonight's meeting, Ralph wishes them much success at their big Fall Used Book Sale at the mall, scheduled for October 1-3. C. Annie Walk & Pet Fest - Marge Teklits The August 28`s Annie Walk event was successful and lots of fun. Approximately 200 people registered for the Walk with proceeds for children's library books and materials amounting to $2,724. Joan Scheuerman and family once again greeted all the Annie Walkers at the historic site and offered doggie treats and water to all the 4-legged canine walkers. Although Joan has recently resigned from the Library Board, she said she and her family would like to volunteer to be official greeters again next year. An estimated 400 people later enjoyed all the pet -related activities in Library Park, and donated "people" treats from Wal-Mart and Country Buffet.. Lion's Club members were quite pleased with the turnout for the pancake breakfast this year, too - almost all the food was used. They are planning to present a check from the event to the Library after Brenda returns from vacation. It will be used for library materials for the visually impaired. Their participation each year at the Annie Walk is greatly appreciated. Many thanks go to Friends volunteers Lil and Hugh Price, Pat Walsh and Denise and Mike Esposito for helping with registrations, prize distribution and cake cutting. Library staff once again thank the Friends of the Library for sponsoring this well -loved event. d. Public Relations Ralph said the filtering issue might be a good topic for the next newsletter. He would also like to include some graphics on Summer Reading Program results. e. Emerging Trends - Bob Burns Bob said articles about libraries continue to show up in current magazines and newspapers. Among them: An interesting New York Times article dated July 18a' says a new book of fiction is published every 30 minutes - 175,000 titles in 2003, an increase of 19% over the previous year. The question is: are libraries supposed to collect all of them? It says more books are being offered to the same number of readers and raises the question "How Many Books Are Too Many." A July 9`s Wall Street Journal article, "The Importance of Reading Ernest," talks about a survey 'Reading at Risk: A Survey of Literary Reading in America." Less than half the adult population now reads literature for pleasure and that decline occurs across all ages, sexes, races, and is most pronounced among the young. An August 23rd article in the Christian Science Monitor talks about two successful mall libraries in the greater Seattle area. These mall libraries make books, computers and other resources accessible to those who may not consider venturing into a traditional library, and they are popping up across the U.S. Another Christian Science Monitor article reports a patron of the Public Library in Layton, Utah crossing out swear words in books and changing them to non -profane words. Bob said it seems the publicity libraries receive is indeed varied and, at times, humorous. The Summer/Fall ALA catalog is offering a good book on Friends of the Libraries: "The Essential Friends of Libraries: Fast Facts, Forms, and Tips" by Sandy Dolnick. The April 2004 issue of American Libraries is devoted to library buildings; it is their annual showcase of new and renovated facilities. Bob encouraged Board members to write their representatives in Congress to support the appropriation bill which includes funding for LSTA. The U.S. Supreme Court affirmed a lower court's decision to block enforcement of the Child Online Protection Act (COPA) but stopped short of declaring the law unconstitutional, sending it back for a new trial. COPA would penalize commercial web sites that do not obtain proof of age before providing material considered harmful to minors. Referring to the August 2004 American Libraries article "Libraries Choose to Filter or Not to Filter as CIPA Deadline Arrives," Bob summarized that one year after the Supreme Court's June 2003 decision upholding the Constitutionality of the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA), public libraries that receive federal money for Internet connectivity had to decide whether to install filtering software on all online workstations by June 30 or give up the funding. Public libraries in Colorado must adhere to a state law passed in May that requires filters to be in place by the end of the year. Bob asked Carson how the Fort Collins Public Library is dealing with it. Carson said at this point we will be following State laws and are creating a response which the City Attorney's office will review. Carson did a study on free filters and found they are not adequate. They are based on key word blocking, only have at best an 80% success rate and are not an effective product. A filter is not more effective than a person's judgment. Ralph said it has been the Board's stand that as far as children's computer stations, it is a parental decision, and they would be willing to back that stand in the future. They are not opposed to filters except from the standpoint of censoring. Bob said it can be a very controversial subject and a lot more than we have time for this evening. Ralph asked for a report at the next Board meeting to be kept current on the use of filters. Round -Robin: Don said there is a lot of concern about the cost of keeping technology current; it is a big chunk out of every library's budget. State governments aren't too forthcoming with funding help, nor are cities. It is a huge operation with 24 hour/day access and difficult to sustain given our precarious economic conditions. Don and Bob agreed they might be able to help in discussions for new library needs. Bob was on the board who designed the present Main Library. Don said the size of libraries has been an issue since the very first library was built - there is always a need and plan to expand. A local writer approached Rudy to talk about translation of a book into Spanish for the bilingual program. The book is geared towards teens. The author might be interested in making a book donation to the library. Rudy would like staff to proceed with the hiring of the Bilingual Library Assistant position. Bob said libraries have been in the news recently; apparently the library in Granby was among the buildings affected by the recent bulldozing incident. Jean asked if a library in the new Lifestyle Center would be in its own building; Carson said it most likely would be with a complimentary facility and would also have a grassy area close by to possibly use for outdoor programs. Ralph will try to reschedule the Board's meeting with the Review Board of The Coloradoan. The meeting was adjourned at 7:10 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Marjorie Teklits Administrative Secretary