HomeMy WebLinkAboutLibrary Board - Minutes - 08/10/2000LIBRARY BOARD MINUTES
Regular Meeting — August 10, 2000
6:00 p.m.
Council Liaison: Michael Byrne Staff Liaison: Brenda Cams
(Phone 221-6670)
Chairperson: Edward Jakubauskas
(Phone:223-7428)
A regular meeting of the Library Board was held on August 10, 2000 in the Ben Delatour Room
of the Main Library. The following Library Board members were present: Carolyn Haase, Lisa
Helme, Edward Jakubauskas, Rudy Maes, Mary Robertson, and M. Madeleine Wawro.
Library Board Member Absent
City Staff Members Present:
Friends of the Library Liaison:
Charles Robles
Brenda Cams. Michael W. Powers, and Marjorie
Teklits
Larry Webber
The meeting was called to order at 6:10 p.m. by the Chairperson, Edward Jakubauskas. Lisa
Helme motioned that the minutes of the June 8, 2000 meeting be approved as written; Rudy
Maes seconded the motion, and it was unanimously approved.
Correspondence
The June 23`d memorandum from the City's Boards and Commissions Coordinator regarding a
revision to the Boards and Commissions Attendance Policy was distributed.
A letter from a former library customer who moved to California was shared; the customer
thanked the library fqr being a wonderful facility and wished it "many public funds in the
future."
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Reports/Presentations
a. Director — Brenda Cams
The coffee cart service, which started inside the Main Library on July 24, has been well
received by customers. Once it becomes a profitable venture, the operator will donate
10% of her proceeds to the library. Extra refuse containers have been placed around the
building to help maintain neatness, and there have not been any spillage problems
reported.
The new automated computer system is up and running; it is still too early for customer
feedback, however, Board Member Lisa Helme reported that she used it for the first time
this morning at Harmony Library and was pleased with the features it offers.
The Summer Reading Program continues to be a huge success. A big thank you to The
Wilkins Trust who have agreed to donate $1 for every 5 extra hours read to the Readers -
to -the -Rescue incentive reading program.
Board Members were asked to volunteer a shift at the library's NewWestFest booth either
August 19 or 20. They were also invited to participate in the Annie Walk on August 26.
Some of the bilingual teens recently hired wrote letters to City Council thanking them for
the opportunity to work at the library and participate in the program. They spoke about
their experiences at the library on a recent radio program and how they enjoy performing
as the library's mascot, Annie. They are planning to delight children of the community by
being Annie at NewWestFest and the Annie Walk, and they recently passed out literature
about the library's Annie event at the Humane Society's annual dog wash.
Board Members were invited to participate in the annual Colorado Library Association
conference in Snowmass from September 14-17. Ed Jakubauskas expressed interest in
attending and will be given complete conference information. Lisa Helme may be able to
attend if Ed's is not able to go.
Brenda recently attended a Public Library Leadership Institute conference in Baltimore
which was sponsored by the University of Maryland College of Library & Information
Services. Highlights included the future of libraries and current technology being
explored. The challenge is to integrate all groups and to meet community needs. The
process completed earlier this year by the Public Planning Process is reflective of trends
indicated at the conference. The key is to respond to changes and to remain flexible and
open to possibilities.
Poudre Valley Hospital is planning to close their HealthAware library and is preparing a
proposal for the Fort Collins Public Library to house its collection. It has low usage at its
present location, and as the public library is open longer hours, the public would have
better access to the collection. An agreement for the library to house the collection would
depend upon the hospital's ability to continue to support it.
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The Library Assistant positions have been reinstated to a higher level. Ed expressed
concern about the library's dependence on large numbers of part-time hourly paid staff.
Brenda said that hourly staff start at $6.19 per hour and, since there are many higher
paying opportunities around town for part-time work, there has been a large turnover in
library circulation staff. It is felt that, if a higher starting wage could be offered, the
turnover rate would decrease.
b. Friends of the Library — Larry Webber
The tent purchased for the library by the Friends has been well received. It protected
roughly 600 people from the sun during two recent Summer Reading Programs.
The next Friends' sale will be held at Foothills Fashion Mall from October 6-8.
At the Friends' August Board meeting, volunteers for NewWestFest and the Annie Walk
will be recruited and nominations for new officers taken; election of officers will take
place in November.
C. Committee Reports:
County/State/National — Carolyn Haase
Carolyn encouraged Board representation at the Colorado Library Association (CLA)
Conference and stated that, although trustees are not presenting a program in their own
division, the professional librarians provide a quality program.
Carolyn reminded it is beneficial to examine the views of local political candidates on
library issues and also suggested they be invited to the library's Annie Walk. Mike
Powers provided a brief recap of the County library funding issues and said the group of
Larimer County Librarians will plan to speak with the Commissioners sometime after the
fall election. Brenda added that there is a risk of losing grant opportunities if a Library
District were established, and that this is an important consideration.
City Council Relations:
Ed Jakubauskas mentioned a letter was sent from the City Clerk's office advising
approval of the Ordinance to extend Board members' terms to expire on December 31
rather than June 30.
Although a specific date has not been designated, discussion of a site for a downtown
library will be discussed at a future Council Study Session.
Community Public Relations — Mary Robertson
Mary recently spoke with Chuck Wanner about the Library Trust, and a meeting with
him, Wayne Givens, John Fischbach, Mary, Brenda and Mike to talk about it further will
be scheduled in September.
Mike Powers explained the reasons why the City declined the opportunity to ask for a 1/8
cent sales tax in the election and said they are instead doing an analysis to ascertain where
monies can be redirected. Also, Council has asked staff for a capital plan identifying
present and future needs.
Implications of Amendment 21 proposing to cut a variety of taxes $25 per year were
discussed; if passed, many services provided by local governments could be cut or phased
out. Carolyn recommended that Board members find out what they can do individually
to oppose the Amendment.
Mike Powers reported that potential new main library locations were presented to City
Council. Discussions continue with owners of the various properties, and once the
preferred site is determined, it will be recommended to Council. The City can then go to
the voters to begin accumulating funds to build. He also mentioned a process will be
done to define a new use for the present main library including a possible future home for
the Museum.
Board members discussed the importance of stressing the social benefits of libraries;
there is a definite correlation that, when children learn to read early in life, they get a
better education. Conducting research and producing data to explain the importance of
the library will help convince the public that a better library is an investment in the future
rather than an expense.
OLD BUSINESS
a. Public Planning Process Goals/Mission Statement
Brenda gave a recap of the year -long public planning process, explaining that the
committee's purpose was to help define a vision for the library's future. The group,
consisting of community leaders, identified five of the most important areas that needed
support. Library staff identified what can be done now, within two years, and what has to
wait until a new main library is built. The document can be considered a blueprint for
areas to develop and will be revised as future needs are identified. The public planning
group will be invited back periodically for progress reports.
Lisa Helme suggested some rewording of the document to provide more specific goals
and inclusion of budget information to achieve them. Ed agreed that defining where the
library is now, where it needs to go and what it will cost would be a helpful tool in
advocating for future funding. He said it is important to give specific information on how
the library meets the needs of various audiences such as, pre-schoolers, school -aged
children, retirees, business groups, etc. Maddy felt that the present document needs
specific ideas and that it is presently too weighty.
The Board's public relations committee (Lisa and Mary) will review the document and
return with suggested revisions.
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Other:
Ed Jakubauskas reported that he met with the City Manager, Mayor and other Boards and
Commissions chairpersons. The consensus was that periodic meetings by the group would be
very helpful and provide an opportunity to showcase developments and needs in their respective
areas.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:10 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Marjorie Teklits
Administrative Secretary