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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLibrary Board - Minutes - 10/08/19980 City Clerk LIBRARY BOARD MINUTES Regular Meeting - October 8, 1998 6:00 p.m. Council Liaison: Chris Kneeland 11 Staff Liaison: Brenda Cams (Phone 221-6670) Chairperson: Jack Steele (Phone:225-0877) A regular meeting of the Library Board was held on October 8, 1998 in the Ben Delatour Room at the Main Library. The following Library Board members were present: Anne Ostrye- Macdonald, Rudy Maes, Mary Robertson, Jack Steele, and Jacqueline Wallace. Library Board Members Absent: City Staff Members Present: Friends of the Library Liaison: Guests: Ed Jakubauskas, M. Madeline Wawro Mike Powers, Brenda Cams, Marjorie Teklits Larry Webber Jack Schanz, Bill Cook The meeting was called to order at 6:00 p.m. by the Chairperson, Jack Steele. The minutes of the September 17, 1998 Regular Meeting stand as written. CORRESPONDENCE There was no correspondence to be read at this meeting. PRESENTATIONS/REPORTS A. Library Trust Status - Jack Schanz, Bill Cook Jack Schanz, Library Endowment Fund Committee Chair, presented a brief background of the history of the Library Fund for new Board members and an update of the status of the proposed Library Trust. This charitable organization would be a stand alone entity, entirely apart from City government jurisdiction. A key issue yet to be decided will be 1 how the organization will interact with the Library Board, the Friends of the Library, a City -appointed, paid Library staff and its access, if any, to Library space and resources. This will require discussions with the Library Director, staff, the Library Board and City officials. Attempts are being made to fill five slots for an initial board and to form a list of people willing to be directors or committee members. This board would have the final say on articles, by-laws, a name, and key policies. Following incorporation, these policies would need to be adopted, additional directors added, standing committees selected and, when the time is appropriate, the first fund raising effort by a self -financed volunteer group attempted. It is not likely that a first meeting of a board would take place until January, and the future schedule would depend on their time availability. Jack Steele asked if a Library Board member or the Library Director would sit on the Trust's board; Jack Schanz said the board will be made up of members who have the time and effort to devote to it and that selection of board members would not be automatic based on position. Jack Schanz said that the Library Endowment Fund Committee will plan to meet at some point in the near future to discuss the needs for the grant to present to the Community Foundation for next year. Jack Schanz and Brenda Cams were invited to meet with attorney Bill Gunn and Ann Yates, who is a member of the Northern Colorado Board and Chair of the Fort Collins Board of the Community Foundation, to discuss fund raising assistance and how the Library could become more visible. They advised that the Library would be eligible to ask for money from the Foundation's annual bequests for designated purposes. Anne Ostrye-Macdonald thanked Jack Schanz for all he has done in the past and continues to do for the Library Endowment Fund Committee as well as planning for a proposed Library Trust. Jack Steele reminded everyone present that Jack Schanz's term as the Committee's Chair will expire in October 1999. B. Library Director - Brenda Cams Harmony and Main Library collections continue to grow as a result of supplementary funding from Impact Fees. As of September 1, Harmony had 80,792 items; and the Main Library's collection totaled 232,612. Collections in both buildings continue to be heavily used, and substantial weeding is being done at the Main Library to discard worn and outdated materials. Mother Goose Time, a lapsit storytime program for infants and caregivers, started October 2"'. Some sessions are already full and waiting lists are being started for later sessions, proving it is a fine addition to the children's program repertoire. While examining software for Y2K compliancy, the Library learned that Ameritech will not continue to develop Dynix after two more years. Because of performance problems N with existing hardware, the Library needs to upgrade the computer system without putting money into an obsolete system. The plan is to establish Y2K compliancy and concurrently go to bid for a new system. Funding would be from the voter -approved Building Community Choices capital improvements. Copies of a memo from Kim Crowley dated September 21 to the Library Management Team explaining the background, options, recommendations and timeline were distributed to the Board. Copies of an article and accompanying charts showing library card ownership by income and reasons for visiting libraries from the September 12 Economist were distributed. The article states: "Nearly 90% of survey respondents consider public libraries as valuable or more valuable than other tax -supported services." C. Friends of the Library - Larry Webber The October 2-4 Annual Book Sale grossed $20,088, and the Friends are looking forward to another sale in early 1999. Their web site (www.fortnet.org/fol/), which links to the Library, mentions that they are still accepting book donations. They are still seeking space to collect, sort, price and store books for these sales. Other updates included: The Friends have submitted a grant application to Group Publishing Inc.; 258 books were collected at the recent event to benefit the Friends at Avogadro's Number; approximately $150 in ticket sales was raised from the successful Foley's Charity Day on September 29`h; and the October 14 General Meeting will feature a free, open to the public presentation on "Major Long's Expedition to the Rocky Mountains" at noon at the Main Library and 7 p.m. at Harmony Library. OLD BUSINESS A. County Funding - Jack Steele Anne Ostrye-Macdonald moved to accept the draft memo to Mayor and Members of City Council concerning County Contributions for Library Services; Rudy Maes seconded the motion, and the Board, unanimously approved. The memo states that the Board recommends the City seek the County's commitment to increase their contribution for library services so that it remains commensurate with City funding increases. B. Status of Impact Fee Spending - Brenda Cams A total of $77,958 was collected in 1996, $247,868 in 1997, and $293,947 in 1998, plus $11,011 interest, for a grand total of $630,784. $268,000 of this amount was appropriated in May, and expenditures for books, periodicals and non -print media from this appropriation are anticipated to begin in December 1998. In response to an inquiry by Jack Steele, Mike Powers will advise how the amount set aside for a Library facility is calculated. Anne Ostrye-Macdonald asked if this money will be used to relocate Technical Services, and Brenda Cams replied that the City Manager has recommended to Council that an additional $50,000 be added to the Library's budget to pay for ongoing 3 0 costs (rent, courier services, etc.) for this relocation. The space vacated by Technical Services would be used for Reference staff , allowing expansion of the Local History department. Potential sites for Technical Services are being explored. NEW BUSINESS A. November meeting - Jack Steele The regular November 12" meeting has been rescheduled to Thursday, November 5 in order to accommodate Board members' schedules. Council Liaison, Chris Kneeland may be participating. Instead of the usual agenda, there will be a round -table discussion about 1998 accomplishments, and Board members were asked to bring two to four focus items to help with the preparation of the 1999 Work Plan. Marge Teklits was asked to advise those not present to bring this information to the next meeting. Other Copies of information concerning the pros and cons of Library Districts from the May 8, 1997 Library Board meeting were distributed for discussion at a future meeting. The December 10, 1998 Library Board meeting has been canceled. The meeting was adjoumed at 7:10 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Marjorie Teklits Library Secretary Approved at the 11/5/98 Library Board Meeting 4