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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLibrary Board - Minutes - 08/12/2004LIBRARY BOARD MINUTES REGULAR MEETING - AUGUST 12, 2004 6:00 P.M. Council Liaison: Marty Tharp Staff Liaison: Brenda Cams (Phone 221-6670) Chairperson: Ralph Olson (Phone: 898-0863) A regular meeting of the Library Board was held on August 12, 2004 in the Ben Delatour Room of the Main Library at 201 Peterson Street. The following Library Board members were present: Bob Bums, Rudy Maes, Don Oehlerts, Ralph Olson, Melissa Pattison, Joan Scheuerman, and Mary Robertson. City Staff Members Present: Brenda Cams, Lu Benke, and Marjorie Teklits Friends of the Library Liaison: Sharon Bleicher Guests: Judy MacDonald, Director of Media/Instructional Technology and Staff Development, Poudre School District The meeting was called to order at 6:00 p.m. by Chairperson Ralph Olson. Don Oehlelrts moved to approve the minutes of the July 8, 2004 meeting; Mary Robertson seconded the motion, and it was unanimously approved. Correspondence: Packet information included a flier concerning the Public Library Trustee Roundup at the ALTA-CAL-MPLA Conference, October 21-24, 2004. Brenda said this workshop is a good opportunity to network with other public library trustees. Reports/Presentations: a. Director's Report - Brenda Cams The Summer Reading Program has been successful despite a few bad weather disappointments in canceling or postponing outside programs. Registrations increased over last year. Brenda thanked Mary Robertson and Don Oehlerts for attending one of the Building On Basics Open Houses. The vacant Bilingual Outreach position is being advertised, and it is hoped to attract some good candidates. In addition, interviews are being held this week to replace the vacant Training Librarian position. The Board will be receiving invitations to an event celebrating National Library Card Month in September. Tom and Jean Sutherland will be part of the kick-off event at the Main Library, "To Read is to Live." b. Friends of the Library - Sharon Bleicher Friends volunteers are getting ready for the Annie Walk event on August 28`h. Sharon reminded everyone that the event starts off with a pancake breakfast at 7:30 a.m. and the Walk starts at 9 a.m. The Friends had a successful mid -summer book sale. The big fall sale is planned for October 2 and 3 at the Mall. The Friends are also involved with an event at the Senior Center from 7 to 9 p.m. on November P at the Senior Center. Tom Sutherland will be reading poetry by Robert Burns. C. Overview of Library Media Services - Judy Macdonald Having held her current position at the Poudre School District (PSD) for the past 15 years, Judy has had the opportunity to work with many staff at the public library. The public library and school libraries both know the importance of the library community working together so that wherever they are, customers of both can have access to the information they need to become lifelong learners. She pointed out that, even though the missions of school libraries and public libraries may differ, a major role of both is to promote information literacy skills. Judy said school libraries can be as unique as the buildings they are housed in; all follow similar guidelines, but yet they are different. The libraries are financed through three different budget lines; a mill levy for books; a mill levy for technology and a portion of the school budget. There are a total of 730,000 items in the school libraries, and checkouts total about 500,000 items per year. School libraries share some of the same challenges as the public library; for instance, there is an ongoing battle for staffing and the pool of technology. The final challenge is CSAPs. As a rule, kids who attend schools with libraries score higher than kids who attend schools without libraries. Judy distributed copies of the Vision and Mission Statement as well as the PSD Information Literacy and Technology Standards. Bob Burns asked if the PSD libraries and public library share staff. Judy responded that the public library staff does outreach to the various schools, knows what the school curriculum is and purchases materials that students need, but they don't actually share staff. Judy felt that public library staff have provided their support with book talks which some staff even do on their own time, and they have formed relationships with various sites. Ralph Olson asked if school libraries share materials between sites. Judy said they are obligated to share throughout the state, but the public libraries have taken the burden of interlibrary loans as the schools don't have the staff to do so. Bob Bums asked if Judy was aware of the need for a new public library branch. Judy said she knows the kids in the southeast area aren't getting the library service they need, and she knows how busy Harmony Library is, so she is very supportive of a new branch. She said the demographics are there - the youngest children are in that part of town. She said the public library is going to have a meaningful role for those kids. She is very supportive of Harmony Library and wishes it were three times bigger. Mary Robertson said some time ago the school district changed the method of disseminating information to families, and it seemed like less material was sent home with the students. Judy said the school district and public library have now formed a partnership which allows public library information to be distributed in ways other than the Parent magazine. As long as its an activity that has a curriculum or partnership impact, the school district can justify sending material home. Mary said she is pleased that the partnership was formed. Bob Burns asked if the public library makes an attempt to issue cards in the schools. Judy said they used to, and she would be willing to look at doing it again. She said a lot of kids have cards because they want to use the resources that schools can't always provide. Bob said he is delighted with the cooperation between the two entities. Is there an area where they could cooperate in the future where they don't right now? Judy felt that past cooperation problems were on the part of the schools rather than the library. She doubts if library staff had access to curriculums as it was difficult to get it out. Improvements could be made here. Ralph said reading leads to better test scores. Judy said if you really look into the research, you find that the proximity of a public library influences a child's achievement if the parents are taking them to the library. Judy invited Library Board members to tour some of the elementary or junior high school libraries and also to attend a Latte Day session at Boltz Elementary. Bob asked if the school libraries close in summer; Judy said a few remain open and this is usually made possible through grant money. They are popular in their neighborhoods. Mary asked if they promote the summer reading program; Judy said they don't but that is something that could be looked at. Bob asked if it was possible to check out books from the school media centers with a public library card. Judy said they would have to speak to school office staff for security purposes. Bob asked about using school libraries for branches. Mary said this topic has been brought up quite often. Judy said, if you look at it just as an issue, it would seem a logical decision. Years ago, there was an idea to make the Fort Collins High School a joint library, and a design team was consulted. It never worked because of accessibility issues. A school library is operated in the center of the school (vs. an outside athletic field for instance). Parents with young children would have to use the hallways to get to libraries. Also, there is a different philosophy in purchasing material for school libraries; the collections are age appropriate and curriculum supportive. So, the venture failed at that point as the issues couldn't be resolved. Before Harmony Library was developed, Judy was on a committee discussing the school library at Rocky Mountain High School. It was decided that a college library/public library was more compatible. A separate children's section could be put in a college library. Although combining school media centers and public libraries sometimes works in very small towns, it raises issues of parking, cramped quarters, constrained collections, loads of classes traveling through, staffing differences, indigent populations visiting public libraries, even the need for such things as baby changing tables in restrooms. Brenda added that one of the public library's goals is to provide any information the public wants and this is not necessarily the policy of the schools. She said that most who have combined libraries in the past found it wasn't really successful. Mary said if the schools and public libraries can focus on their collaboration of programs instead, such as the summer reading program, this might help the public understand the working relationship works better than sharing space. Library Board members thanked Judy for attending tonight's meeting. d. Public Relations - Joan Scheuerman Topics for the next quarterly newsletter might include Summer Reading Program statistics, the Annie Walk, and a discussion about PSD library resources and why it is inappropriate to share a facility with them and the importance of collaboration. Though Joan has volunteered to assist with the Annie Walk event, she announced her resignation from the Board due to personal obligations. She will discuss turning over newsletter duties with Ralph. Cliff GIMIJAZIN31 a. Southeast Branch Update - Brenda Cams Brenda distributed copies of a conceptual floor plan for a southeast branch in the proposed Lifestyle center. It has the potential for 20,000 s.f. but 10,000 s.f. would be opened initially and the remainder of the space rented until funds are available to expand into the entire space. The Library has impact fee money to pay for some of the construction and the ability to bond for additional funds. The developer hopes to break ground this fall and be open by next summer or fall. Bob asked when a final decision will be made about the project; Brenda said probably within the next month or two. Melissa asked if Council had to give approval before ground is broken, and Brenda said yes. Bob said a good public relations program is needed to get the information into the community and help gain wide acceptance. Brenda said the library will try to fill the vacant marketing position if the economic situation improves. Brenda said she expects the Friends of the Library would make a significant donation if the project becomes a reality. The Library Trust also sees this as offering lots of opportunities as it is easier to endow capital projects. Bob asked what the branch would be named; Brenda said possibly the Summit Branch Library as the Lifestyle Center might be named The Summit, but that decision would be made at a later date. b. NewWestFest - Brenda Cams Information about volunteers scheduled for the Library's NewWestFest table was distributed. It includes fliers about the Library's Building On Basics projects, the upcoming Annie Walk, and other library programs. NEW BUSINESS Round -Robin: Rudy was very pleased that the Bilingual Outreach position is being filled. Bob found some articles about libraries in the national press and will share them at the next meeting. Joan said her family is looking forward to the Annie Walk and the opportunity to hand out dog biscuits to participants. Mary offered to write a Soapbox regarding the importance of Library Technology as part of the Building On Basics projects. Ralph and the other Board members told Joan how much she will be missed and thanked her for her time and efforts on behalf of the Board and the Library. Brenda said Carson Block will be filling in for her at the September Library Board meeting. The meeting was adjourned at 7:35 p.m. Respectfully submitted, 7� ,tee 7ej Marjory Teklits Administrative Secretary