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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLibrary Board - Minutes - 06/16/1994r CITY OF FORT COLLINS • PUBLIC LIBRARY BOARD NIINUTES - REGULAR MEETING Ben Delatour Room - Fort Collins Public Library June 16, 1994 - 6:00 P.M. PRESENT: LIBRARY BOARD - Karen Domseif; Chairperson, Anne Ostrye-Macdonald; Sandra Webermeier; Al Stone ABSENT - Jean Deitemann, Madeleine Wawro, Jerry Roselle LIBRARY STAFF - Linda Saferite, Mike Powers, Amy Holzworth, Larry Webber, Carol Bering Clemons, Robert Copeland, Dean Willms The meeting was called to order at 6:10 P.M. by the Chair, Anne Ostrye-Macdonald. The minutes of the May meeting were approved. Chair Ostrye-Macdonald reported her receipt of a letter from Jean Deitemann who could not attend her last meeting. Linda Saferite reported on a call from council liaison, Mayor Azari who is out of town and unable to attend this meeting. Linda reported that the Friends of the Library were looking for space to sort books for their annual sale. The Ben Delatour room is booked for a few weeks if they were unable to locate a sorting space. REPORTS Library Director: On The Job With - Robert Holzfaster will be giving his "On the Job" report at the next meeting and subsequently staff from throughout the Library will be invited to present "On the Job" reports. General Report - A customer has requested the Library reconsider the Young Adult book, "The Grounding of Group Six," (1983). Dean has three staff who are parents of teenagers preparing their reviews of the book and drafting a letter to the patron addressing the patron's concerns as well as the content of the book. A copy of the letter and reviews will be sent to the Library Board. Linda discussed the resignations and new hires which have occurred within the past few weeks and the 1995 budget packet which was handed out. Linda handed out a quarterly report regarding programs, amount of people attending these programs, and homebound projects. She indicated that the Inter Library Loan department and activity is booming. Karen Domseif asked if this might be due to the access ACLIN offers and Linda concurred. Linda indicated that money collection is up and may be partly due to the Circulation staff informing patrons of their under $2.00 fines instead of waiting for the fines to mature. Library Board Meeting - June 16, 1994 Page 2 Linda gave an overview of the library furnishings recommendation with slides and her presentation. A mid -year funding request will be to City Council for approval. This proposal will occur within one or two months. The Executive Lead Team has decided that this is a priority considering the age and condition of the present Library furnishings. The slides Linda presented included all areas of the building specifically emphasizing the 17 year wear and tear such as; chipped Circulation desk, non-ergonomical Circulation desk, behind the Circulation desk and the flat desks which do not allow a healthy working environment, Check -In desk which allows no space for staff to get away from the public, unspacious Media and Children's desks, old stuffed chairs upstairs, bulky study carrel, limited space and number of tables in the Reference area, broken furniture, the PAC terminals upstairs which are on tables and wires are bundled underneath, and the cramped Local History storage which is unsafe. Linda indicated that there is a proposal to refurbish all of the wooden chairs. 53 chairs around the building need to be discarded. Linda showed some pictures of proposed chairs and tables as well as the eleven new chairs donated by the Friends of the Library. A donation of $2,200.00 was spent on twelve like new chairs which were purchased at a used furniture warehouse. The Mini Library color palette was shared. In one week the Summer Reading Program has registered 1/3 of the children registered last summer. 1,892 children have been registered at the time of this meeting. She also pointed out the large amounts of books sitting in the Ben Delatour room as those being prepared for the Mini Library, a clear indication that expansion is happening. The Library Board commended the staff for doing such a good job during all of the changes. Library Fund Advisory Board - Anne Ostrye-Macdonald reported that she has one more year left on the Library Board and asked to be appointed to this group as the Board representative. John Pfeiffenberger will have a two year term. Ginny Ward and Jerry Roselle have four year terms and the Friends of the Library representative Shirley Chase has a one year term. NEW BUSINESS Budget - Linda gave a background on the budget issues so that they could have a guideline to develop a five year plan. She went over the book budget which Larry was working on and emphasized that the book revenue needs to grow consistently to work toward our 3 books per capita goal. She expressed her hope for a Library Board long range plan by the end of the summer. The Board said they would come up with one. Sandra Webermeier asked if the Library Board would be the ones that deal with the larger issues, not numbers and that the Library continue to work with the numbers. Al Stone did make a note that the 1.7 books per capita was not a healthy statistic for a community this large. Library Board Meeting - June lb, 1994 • Page 3 Larry Webber said he figured the numbers as all materials budget which include tapes, books, pictures, etc. The point Linda made was that it is important to educate patrons and the community of the needs of Library users. She emphasized that we are at a "basic" service level but our plans should strive for "excellent" service. Karen Dornseif noted that Library patrons are not the kind to complain or push people for what they need. Linda recommended an annual all -staff training. One half day seminar might be best this year considering how many times the building has been closed. Sandra asked about where monies for some of these consultants is coming from and Linda noted that we are doing without a few things this year but it is necessary to forward Library service in the long run. Karen Dornseif thanked Linda for improving staff development and improving staff awareness. Linda said annual events such as these are real morale builders for staff. Linda asked for approval on the late opening, it was moved and seconded. Program Administrators will discuss the best day); Thursday or Friday. OTHER - Bob Copeland said the roof repair was being bid on June 23, 1994. Doug Heustis of Facilities came over to look at the roof was amazed that it was so bad. He went through the building with Bob and they drew up a diagram of the interior damage which will be repaired once the new roof is installed. Linda asked the Library Board to think about how to celebrate the opening of the Mini Library and they all decided it will be thought about and discussed further in the near future. Linda suggested that volunteers might be utilized to plan and coordinate the event. MINI LIBRARY - Larry said 53% of the $172,000.00 for the Mini Library has been allotted and encumbered or expended already. Shelving has been selected and is in the process of being ordered. There is still some determination to be made regarding the layout. Storage space has been rented and Dean and Technical Services is ready for most of the materials to be placed in the storage. Decisions regarding the Circulation desk are being discussed. The meeting adjourned at 7:45 P.M. Respectfully submitted, Amy Holzworth, Office Clerk