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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLibrary Board - Minutes - 10/12/2000LIBRARY BOARD MINUTES Regular Meeting — October 12, 2000 6:00 p.m. Council Liaison: Michael Byrne 11 Staff Liaison: Brenda Cams (Phone 221-6670) Chairperson: Edward Jakubauskas (Phone:223-7428) A regular meeting of the Library Board was held on October 12, 2000 in the Ben Delatour Room of the Main Library. The following Library Board members were present: Carolyn Haase, Edward Jakubauskas, Rudy Maes, Mary Robertson, Charles Robles, and M. Madeleine Wawro. Library Board Member Absent: City Staff Members Present: Friends of the Library Liaison: Guest: Lisa Helme Brenda Cams and Marjorie Teklits Larry Webber Joe Fleming, Director of Educational Services, PVHS The meeting was called to order at 6:07 p.m. by the Chairperson, Edward Jakubauskas. Mary Robertson motioned that the minutes of the September 14, 2000 meeting be approved as written; Rudy Maes seconded the motion, and it was unanimously approved. Correspondence Copies of the September 21 memo from the Boards & Commissions Coordinator concerning the latest revision to the attendance policy were distributed. It states that four absences from regularly scheduled meetings of the board in any calendar year, without prior written notification to the staff liaison or the chair or, if the chair is the person experiencing the attendance problems, then to the vice chair, shall automatically cause a member's appointment to be terminated and create a vacancy on the board or commission. Copies of an article appearing in the September 25`h Library Hotline concerning a ballot E Ll referendum in Jacksonville approving $150 million for improved library facilities was shared with the Board. Brenda is planning to contact the Director of the Jacksonville Public Library for more information about how this was accomplished. At the direction and on behalf of the Board. Brenda was asked to provide information about this venture to Council members. Maddy said it would be helpful to include information on how it was done including the steps taken. Mary said there are similarities between the two cities of Jacksonville and Fort Collins, and information on how Jacksonville achieved approval of this funding could show that what the Board is asking for is not too much. She made a motion to forward the information to Council for the Library Board; Carolyn seconded the motion, and it was unanimously approved. Repo rts/Presentations a. Director — Brenda Cams As she was attending a conference during September's Board meeting and wasn't able to thank various members of the Board for their volunteer participation, Brenda thanked Rudy, Lisa, and Carolyn for attending the Annie Walk & Pet Fest on August 26"i and Ed, Maddy, Mary, Rudy, Lisa and Larry for helping to staff the library's booth at NewWestFest the weekend of August 19 and 20. Their support and efforts on the library's behalf are greatly appreciated by staff. The Lion's Club was also sent a thank - you note for providing a pancake breakfast for the library at the Annie event. The library's new computer system is up and running. however, software providing a filtering option is not yet available. Charles mentioned he is scheduled to attend Internet training in the near future and suggested the library offer a train -the -trainer -type class. He will give Brenda information about the course. Mary said a class teaching parents about their children's Internet use could be very popular and useful. Noise issues at Harmony are being addressed; "quiet zone" signage is being displayed, and bookmarks describing proper library etiquette are available for customers. In addition, wooden benches in the rotunda are being upholstered, and the College is contacting architects to see what they can recommend for sound mitigation. Computer problems at Harmony are also being addressed; the sign -on process is too time- consuming and, since Front Range Community College has had staffing problems, resolution of the problem is taking longer than expected. In addition to the traditional "How'd we do?" comment forms, customers can now share their comments electronically on the library's web site. Some recent ones are included in this month's packet. A "naming" committee, consisting of Brenda, Kim Crowley, Anne Macdonald, Melissa Katsimpalis and Mary Robertson, is planning to meet October 18" to review suggested names for the library's new automated system. The library recently held a contest to help select an appropriate name. u This summer the library had its most successful Summer Reading Program ever. Statistics are highlighted in the Children's Services section of the Director's Report. b. Friends of the Library — Larry Webber The October 6-8 booksale at Foothills Fashion Mall was the biggest ever, with proceeds totaling $29,629.17. Leftover books were donated to Nightwalker which saved the Friends from having to move and store them. Larry suggested recognition of the Friends at a public presentation of a check to the library as a result of the sale, perhaps during a National Library Week program in April. New officers were elected at the November meeting; they are: Joanna Lambert (President), Peggy McGough (Vice President), Lil Price (Treasurer), Marian Hershcopf (Assistant Treasurer), Shelby DiBellis (Recording Secretary), and Vicki Siska (Corresponding Secretary). Bilingual Outreach Library Assistant Larry Maynard presented an excellent program at yesterday's General Meeting. He shared his ideas and explained the bilingual programs the library offers. Larry will ask Marge to copy articles of interest to the Board which he read in the American and Colorado Library Association Journals. Ed commended all the Friends for all their hard work for the library. C. Committee Reports: County/State/National — Carolyn Haase Carolyn mentioned that many people are choosing to vote by absentee ballot this year as there are many issues involved. She recommended reading the information and carefully considering the issue concerning Poudre School District funding needs. City Council Relations — Charles Robles Charles recently communicated to the Mayor the need to talk about library funding with the County Commissioners. They also discussed the adverse affects approval of Amendment 21 would have on library and other services. Rudy and Charles mentioned that the Mayor is doing an outreach session from 7:30 to 8:30 tomorrow at the Starbuck's coffee shop on Drake Road. Community Public Relations — Mary Robertson Mary distributed a draft Soapbox letter regarding library partnerships to be sent from the Board to The Coloradoan. Carolyn made a motion to send the letter, Charles seconded the motion, and it was unanimously approved. Larry suggested a Soapbox article be done concerning the wonderful service the library receives from its volunteers and how it could not offer the level of service it does without their help. Carolyn made a motion approving his suggestion; Rudy seconded the motion, and it was unanimously approved. The topic of public relations in general was discussed at yesterday's Library Trust meeting. A web site for library users to share their views and receive responses might be an excellent method of creating more awareness about the library. Also, as book club groups are a natural resource for the library, members or leaders could be invited to give their input at a meeting to share what they would like to see in an ideal new library. They, too, could communicate by logging onto a designated web site. The Library Board's political action committee could host the web site, rather than the City. Mary will find out more details as to how this could be done. Mary spoke about visions for the library at a meeting with Council member Karen Weitkunat yesterday who is very supportive of the library. d. Colorado Library Association (CLA) Conference — Ed Jakubauskas Ed attended a number of trustee sessions at the Colorado Library Association conference in Snowmass September 15-17, and copies of handouts were distributed with the Board packets. Topics included fundraising, public relations, as well as how to be a more effective trustee member, and Ed recommended someone from the Board attend the CLA conference each year. OLD BUSINESS a. HealthAware Library — Joe Fleming The HealthAware Library, ajoint venture with the Health District, has been located at 0- ) S. College since June 1997. The library has the equivalent of 1.5 FTE (full time employees), consisting of medical librarians, at a cost of $67,000; rent and utility expenses total $66,000, resulting in an annual expense of approximately $133,000 . There were an average of 2,552 walk-in customers at the library in 1999 and an average monthly circulation of 203. Because of financial concerns and the need for funds to be placed into patient care issues, it is planned to close the HealthAware Library by December 30"' when the Health District will be vacating its present site and moving to a new location. Although Poudre Valley Hospital has a full-time medical library, it caters primarily to physicians and nursing staff rather than the general public, and its location in the hospital's basement would not be ideal for the HealthAware Library. Discussions have been underway to see how the HealthAware collection could be resurrected by having the Fort Collins Public Library house its collection. Advantages could result in a dramatic increase in the collection's use at the Public Library. A disadvantage would be that customers would lose some of the personal attention that 4 HealthAware librarians were able to provide; Joe mentioned that HealthAware librarians have been able to assist their customers for an hour at a time with their medical research needs. Carolyn said that a specialized library such as HealthAware is invaluable, and that it is an excellent resource for the community. She felt that a more active marketing and public relations program would have drawn more people to the facility as there are few active users when compared to a public library. She also mentioned that she hadn't noticed any articles in the newspaper about the library's closing, nor any forums held for public input, and feared that a decision to close was made too quickly. Mary added that the Hospital Board needs to hear Carolyn's concerns. Ed asked if there was any possibility of gradually phasing down costs so that the library could remain open and asked if it was a negotiable area. Joe said that the library's newsletter has mentioned its status and that it is distributed to the public as well as every physician in the community. The decision to close the library has been made known and was two years in the making. Charles inquired as to how many customers are referred to the HealthAware Library for their medical research needs by FCPL staff; Brenda said that there isn't an exact count, but HealthAware librarians have said that many of their customers mention they are referred there by public library staff. The Acting Lead Reference Librarian at the FCPL confirms her staff frequently makes this referral for customers. Ed Jakubauskas felt that, if the Fort Collins Public Library houses the HealthAware collection, it would be important to have staff knowledgeable in the medical field available to assist customers. Brenda mentioned that the FCPL presently has one librarian with a medical background. As this most likely would not provide sufficient customer assistance, other options could include hiring HealthAware librarians on an hourly, appointment -only basis or requesting additional staffing from the City for this specialized collection during the next budget cycle. Joe Fleming said that he would support efforts to provide adequate staffing. Ed felt that funding for adequate staff to assist customers with this specialized collection should be included in the next budget request. Larry Webber mentioned that the Denver Public Library uses docents to help customers and that perhaps customers who have used the HealthAware collection might be interested in offering volunteer assistance. Because of the medical nature of this type of research, only highly trained professionals or volunteers especially trained in the use of a medical library would be appropriate. Mary felt that the use of Poudre Valley Hospital volunteers at the library could possibly be another partnership opportunity of the two entities. Brenda mentioned that the FCPL offers specialty collections, such as the business resource center, and that it would be able to house the 2,800 HealthAware titles. 5 Although details remain to be worked out, some shelving from the HealthAware Library might possibly be used for the collection; it is not known as this time how their other furnishings would be used. HealthAware's databases will not take up space, and a dedicated computer can be designated for use their use. The collection itself will still belong to the HealthAware Library, and their foundation will provide funding to maintain the integrity of the collection by keeping it current. Since this money is obtained by grants, it cannot be used for staffing. While the FCPL will incur certain costs, such as cataloging the collection, it will be able to weed duplicate items from its collection and divert funds currently used for purchasing medical -related materials to other items. Ed said that he is concerned about the FCPL taking on this additional responsibility while maintaining the same number of staff. Brenda said that the addition of the HealthAware collection will enable the library to offer a better collection to its customers. Acquisition of the HealthAware collection by the FCPL also offers adult programming opportunities on health topics and would help the library in its efforts to be more of a community center. A vision for the future is a possible partnership or joint venture with the Poudre Valley Hospital System in which Public Library and HealthAware resources (collections, meeting rooms, a fitness center, etc.) can be shared in the same facility, perhaps in the southeast area of Fort Collins. The Library Board felt that the HealthAware collection is vital to the community and that discussing partnership opportunities is a priority. Board members thanked Joe Fleming for sharing HealthAware's background and discussions for its future with them. NEW BUSINESS a. 2001 Work Plan — Ed Jakubauskas A draft 2001 Work Plan was reviewed, and Mary made a motion to accept it as written with the following change: "The Board will continue to study the pros and cons of all possible sites and make an appropriate recommendation to the City Council on the preferred site —with the aim of having a final site selected for the new Main Library downtown hopefully at the end of the year 2000" (instead of 2001). Rudy seconded the motion and it was unanimously approved. b. Proposed Amendment to Chapter 2, Article III of the City Code — Ed Jakubauskas Copies of Steve Roy's September 261h memo were distributed with Board packets. Board members felt that the proposed amendment dilutes communication with Council as well as experts on staff. They question whether the proposed recommendation is applicable to every Board and felt that staff input is needed to advise and give consent in certain cases. It was felt that the Board is appointed by City Council and that their mission is to report to them. They agreed to keep the City Manager informed as well. They asked Brenda to share their views with the City Attorney's office and ask for further clarification of the a 0 proposed amendment in the event they may have misread the intention of the memo. Other As Ed will not be available for the November 9`h meeting, Mary Robertson will be Acting Chair. Ed appointed a nominating committee consisting of Rudy Maes, Charles Robles, and Maddy Wawro to make recommendations at the December 14"' meeting for next year's Library Board Chair and Vice Chair positions. The election of officers will take place at the January 11'h meeting. Ed recently attended a library fundraising event in Estes Park. He was impressed with the success of the yearly library trust event which had approximately 280 in attendance. He said they are a powerful group who strongly believe in and support their library. Ed will bring a draft of the Annual Report to the December 14"' meeting. The meeting was adjourned at 8:10 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Marjorie Teklits Administrative Secretary