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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLibrary Board - Minutes - 01/12/1995CITY OF FORT COLLINS PUBLIC LIBRARY BOARD INIINUTES - REGULAR MEETING Light and Power Conference Room 700 Wood Street January 12, 1995 - 6:00 P.M. PRESENT: LIBRARY BOARD: Al Stone, Acting Chairperson, Le Moyne Anderson, Alan Bednarz, Karen Dornseif, Linda Knowlton ABSENT: Anne Ostrye-Macdonald, M. Madeleine Wawro CITY STAFF: Linda Saferite, Carol Clemons, Bob Copeland, Robert Holzfaster, Ellen Willis, Dean Willms, Larry Webber, Mike Powers, Marjorie Teklits FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY LIAISON: Shirley Chase The meeting was called to order at 6:05 p.m. by the Acting Chair, Al Stone. The minutes of the November 10, 1994 meeting stand as written. REPORTS - On The Job With - Connie Rockwell Linda Saferite introduced Connie Rockwell, Literacy Coordinator for the Larimer County Adult Literacy Network, who informed Board members about a new program, "Literacy Opens Windows to the World," which will run through September 1995. Funded by the U.S. Department of Education and housed at the Fort Collins Public Library, the program offers the community the opportunity to improve reading, writing, math and/or workplace skills; helps prepare participants for GED or citizenship tests, English as a second language and experience learning as a family. - General Report - Linda Saferite The $77,000 one-time book budget money received was part of last year's request for an increase in materials moneys. At an average of $16.95 per book or item, the funds will purchase 4,071 books. In addition, at an average of $35 per book, Reference will purchase 228 books. The grand total purchased is 4,299 books. This will add .04 of one book per capita. As part of the Library's multicultural efforts, the "Library Services to a Diverse Population" principles statement was broadened to help the library respond to the needs of everyone in the community. It will be made available to all and used as a guideline. Library materials purchased will be responsive to it. A Storytime in Spanish was held at the Harris Bi-Lingual School in December. It proved to be very successful and helped increase the Library's visibility to members of the community who did not know about some of the programs the Library offers. Receipt machines have been added at the Circulation Desk as well as the two self check-out machines, which will be available for use later this week. The receipts inform customers of the name of materials checked out and due dates. In order to help eliminate paper accumulation, a new Library card is planned. The back of the card will be similar to common credit cards in that a statement will be signed by the customer acknowledging the fact that he/she is liable for items borrowed from the Library. Using the back of the card for this purpose will eliminate the need to have written statements filed. As part of this effort, a Library Card Design Contest is being conducted, and the Friends of the Library have offered $25 for the winning design. In observance of Martin Luther King's birthday, President's Day, and Veteran's Day, all City offices are closed except EPIC and the Library. Feedback was requested as to whether the Library should remain open on these holidays due to the fact that it has caused staff shortage problems during the days preceding and following the holidays when employees who worked are scheduling their time off. It was decided that the main Library will remain open and operate regular hours during the three holidays but the Mini Library, once opened, will honor City holidays. Al Stone and possibly Karen Dornseif volunteered to accompany Linda Saferite to the capital on March 2 for an opportunity to talk to State legislators about support of libraries. The City Dialogue program was discussed as well as the importance of encouraging citizens to attend to help make the Library's needs and goals more visible. Linda Saferite will represent the City Library in "On Track: Reuse of Fort Collins High School" which will be aired on Channel 10 TV January 19-23. Jean Helburg will represent City Recreation and the proposed Youth Center. The Fort Collins Public Library Meeting Room Use Policy was distributed. The room will be made available to as many groups as possible, and a statement will be given to the public as to our Equal Opportunity and American Disabilities Act policies. The Delatour meeting room may be ready for public use by March. A Seratoma amplified sound system was given to us by the Lions Club for the Hearing Impaired. Similar to what is used in Lincoln Center, it will be available for use in the Library's Ben Delatour room. Lighting problems in the Library are being addressed. Signs to inform the public to ask for assistance in reaching materials on high stacks or accessing materials in narrow aisles are displayed. - How'd we do's It was mentioned that, considering the amount of people who use the Library, negative comments about inconvenience caused by refurbishing have been few. - Mini Library Update To date, over 13,000 items have been purchased for the Mini Library, and more materials are being ordered. To help meet the needs of the youth of the community, focus groups will be held `A at the end of February/beginning of March to see what the youth would like for the Mini Library. Rocky Mountain High School and Fort Collins High School have been approached regarding the Library leasing classroom space for a Mini Library. Neither has classroom space available for a 3-5 year period. The District offers Rocky Mountain High as a site for merging a Mini Library with their Media Center. Other potential sites for a Mini Library are also being explored. An informal survey is currently being conducted in the Library which asks patrons their preference of a Mini Library located in a high school or a standalone facility. The results of this opinion poll will help in selecting a site for the Mini Library that is preferred most by the community. The Library's goal is to open a Mini Library by this summer. - Refurbishing Update Refurbishing efforts are progressing well, and the construction phase of the project should be completed by February 1. Comments from the public reflect their pleasure with the more airy and roomy atmosphere of the Library. A customer appreciation day will be planned for some time in March. OLD BUSINESS - Old Fort Collins High School - Library Use It was mentioned that the School Board seems to want to keep the Old Fort Collins High School in the public eye. The media needs to hear from the public regarding their opinions as to the school's future use. The Friends of the Library advocacy group is helping to make known to the public the Library's need to expand and to use the school as a new main Library. It was suggested that members of the Library Board contact neighbors living in the vicinity of the school for their support. NEW BUSINESS - Library Services Brochure Linda Saferite presented a draft of a brochure which contains general library facts with answers to questions which the public asks most, such as, dropbox locations, Library telephone numbers, hours of operation, checkout/renewal policies, etc. It was mentioned that a local real estate agency wishes to hand out these brochures to their clients, and VIP Welcomers should be contacted as well for possible inclusion of the brochure in the packets given to newcomers to Fort Collins. - Main Library Masterplan A Masterplan for the main Library will be developed so that when we go through the City Dialogue process, we can articulate the Library's needs as other City departments can. A meeting is planned for January 31. Anne Ostrye-Macdonald and Le Moyne Anderson will 7 n u participate in this meeting. - Library Board Retreat A Library Board Retreat is scheduled for Thursday, February 2, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. Nancy Knepel from the High Plains Regional Library Service System will be the facilitator and will discuss the role of the Library Board and its goals. It was requested that information regarding objectives, roles, what the Library Board and staff is doing, be sent to members prior to the meeting. Al Stone suggested that Steve VanderMeer be invited to attend a future Library Board meeting or the Retreat to speak on the City Dialogue process. - Other Pictures of an artist's conception of the new Morgan Library at CSU were viewed. The meeting was adjourned at 8:20 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Marjorie Teklits Library Secretary