HomeMy WebLinkAboutLibrary Board - Minutes - 11/08/2001A regular meeting of the Library Board was held on November 8, 2001 in the Ben Delatour
Room of the Main Library. The following Library Board members were present: Carolyn Haase,
Rudy Maes, Ralph Olson, Mary Robertson, and Charles Robles.
Library Board Member Absent:
City Staff Members Present:
Friends of the Library Liaison:
Joan Scheuerman
Brenda Cams and Marjorie Teklits
Joanna Lambert
The meeting was called to order at 6:05 p.m. by the Chairperson, Mary Robertson.
Ralph Olson motioned that the minutes of the October 11, 2001 minutes be approved as written;
Carolyn Haase seconded the motion, and it was unanimously approved.
Mary Robertson announced that Lisa Helme resigned from the Library Board due to her
upcoming relocation. Carolyn Haase commented that Lisa was a very active contributor to the
Board and deserving of a letter of appreciation.
Correspondence
There was no correspondence to be read at tonight's meeting.
Reports/Presentations
a. Director — Brenda Cams
Brenda brought to everyone's attention the copies of recent newspaper articles about the
library in their packets.
The Police were notified about recent incidents in Library Park. Charles will mention to
his contacts at Police Services that Board members are concerned about the safety of staff
and customers.
The library has been fortunate to have the opportunity of hiring an outstanding group of
work study students from CSU and Front Range Community College. Not only does
being employed at the library provide an excellent work experience for these students, but
the colleges pay two-thirds of their hourly salary which enables the library to expand its
payroll options.
Library materials from remote book drops have been redistributed to better serve the
system. Items from the three soutnemmost book drops are being taken directly to
Harmony Library and has resulted in less double handling of materials by the staff and
courier.
A new statewide InterLibrary Loan (ILL) program sponsored by the State Library is being
implemented. Customers will be able to generate their own ILL requests.
The library went from 27 total databases in the year 2000, with access from home for 18,
to 51 total databases in 2001, with access from home for 44. Databases provide online
access to full text newspaper, book, and magazine articles appropriate for a variety of
ages and research needs.
The business editor for the Coloradoan did a spin-off from the library's Business Sense
newsletter; the newsletter has also been picked up by the Northern Colorado Business
Report. This is great publicity which helps get the word out that the library is an
information source for the business community.
The new Gates computer lab at the Main Library is operational; most of the computers,
including two in Spanish, were donated by the Gates Foundation which also paid for
technical staff to travel to Seattle for training. Much of the staffing for the lab, which is
being marketed by the library as a classroom/learning lab, is being done by the workstudy
students, including a bilingual student on Monday nights.
Lisa Helme represented the Library Board at the recent Harmony Library Advisory
Committee. The group routinely meets once a year.
New Library Facility Regulations have been prepared, and a copy will be brought to the
Board at a future meeting for their review.
b. Friends of the Library - Joanna Lambert
The Friends hosted a Symphony Preview on October 23 a , the last preview program until
January. The Friends Board will meet on Monday, November lfh; among items
discussed were the library's funding requests. Tom Sutherland was the guest at the
Friend's recent general meeting and spoke to a standing -room only crowd.
W.
C. Committee Reports:
County/State/National - Charles Robles
Charles did not have any updates, however, he thanked Joanna and the Friends of the
Library for their support.
City Council Relations - Rudy Maes
Rudy visited with the Mayor prior to the November election. He mentioned he would
like to meet with Stan Matsunaka at some point in the future as well. Carolyn expressed
the need to watch State Senate 15 in terms of candidates being announced.
Community Public Relations
Rudy provided input to Lisa on information about library services which he learned from
visiting with members of the local Hispanic community. They would like to see the
library have more space and more books. He added that the two Spanish computers in the
new Gates computer lab at the Main Library will be very much appreciated.
Childrens/Young Adult Services - Carolyn Haase
Carolyn said that Lu Benke's portion of the Director's Report was indeed very detailed
and complete in describing recent Children's programs.
OLD BUSINESS
a. Discussion on the Campaign for a New Main Library
Although disappointed by the defeat of the ballot issues, Board members agreed they are
not discouraged by the outcome. Ralph said that Soap Box articles, letters to the editor
and other media coverage presented many arguments both for and against the issues and
that it would be helpful to know more about the demographics of the election results.
Carolyn said the support of senior citizens was on the weak side as many are on a limited
income and financially pressed. Mary asked about the timing for a future new library
campaign, and Brenda said the earliest a citizen -initiated campaign could be targeted
would be for the November 2002 election.
Mary said that since Board members reside in various sections of the community, they
could host neighborhood meetings in the next three to four months to solicit information
on what people think about library services, what they want and what they need. These
outreach meetings would also present an opportunity to explain the library's issues and
why a new larger main library is needed to support a branch system. She suggested the
Board work with staff to survey the neighborhood groups to better define what library
services should be. She asked Board members to gather contact information and logistics
for meetings with their neighborhood groups so that they can be surveyed. Ralph
suggested making periodic announcements about the Board's efforts in soliciting public
input at Council meetings.
Carolyn thought that if a written survey was done at some point, a survey where
signatures were not required would be more effective. She also recommended a
partnership with the media that focuses on objectivity and accuracy.
The Board noted that a group of community leaders would need to be organized to run a
campaign and a plan for obtaining funds developed before the issue went back to the
voters.
NEW BUSINESS
a. Library Trust Update - Brenda Cams
Brenda gave an update on the recent Library Trust meeting, and Mary shared a copy of
the October 2001 Feasibility Study prepared for the Trust by John Kivimaki and Carole
Cantor of Third Sector Consulting. It is hoped to raise money for an endowment to cover
the cost of unique library programs. Brenda has asked the Library Management Team to
provide further input relevant to the study's case statement.
b. December Meeting_ Location - Brenda Cams
As the meeting room at the Main Library will not be available, the December 13TH
Library Board Meeting will take place in the Community Room at 215 N. Mason Street.
Carolyn suggested a Board meeting be held at Harmony Library some time next year so
that Board members can become acquainted with staff.
C. 2002 Work Plan and 2001 Annual Report - Mary Robertson
Board members exchanged thoughts on the library's accomplishments during the past
year; these included the purchase of land for a new main library, start-up of a new
computer learning lab with two Spanish computers, excellent children's programs, a
partnership with the Friends of the Library who raised over $50,000 from their used book
sales and donated books to charity, participation in the Annie Pet Fest celebration,
community focus meetings, and attendance at various Council meetings. Mary will
assemble the final report.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:25 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Marjorie Teklits
Administrative Secretary
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