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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-16-16 BPL MINUTES FinalBozeman Public Library Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Bozeman Public Library—Board Room Wednesday, June 16, 2016 Minutes Attendance Board Chair Ron Farmer; Trustees Judy Mathre, Jennifer Pawlak, Ron Price; Bozeman Public Library (BPL) Director Susan Gregory; BPL Department Heads Kit Stephenson, Jason Greenwald, Lois Dissly; Library staff Lauranna Cossins; Library Foundation Director Paula Beswick; Friends of the Library President Pam Henley; City Commissioner and Library Liaison I-Ho Pomeroy; City Manager Chris Kukulski. Call to Order The meeting was called to order by Board Chair Ron Farmer at 4:02pm. Approval of the Minutes Trustee Pawlak moved to approve the minutes from the May 19, 2016 Board meeting. Trustee Mathre seconded. The Board voted unanimously to approve the minutes. Correspondence BPL Director Susan Gregory shared correspondence from the community. There were notes in support of “smoking weed”, Bernie Sanders, and against “hobos in the Library.” There were thank you notes from people who attended the May 5-6th Library Journal Design Institute – an attendee from Washington state and the Library Journal Editor-in-Chief both thanked BPL, the Foundation, and the staff for hosting the event. A few patrons thanked the staff for being helpful and the Computer Services staff in particular for their helpfulness and kindness. A patron requested that the Library be open seven days a week from 8am to 8pm. A handful of patrons were not happy with the fiction reorganization. Gregory said that staff is working on reader’s advisory tools to assist patrons who miss browsing by genre. She said that consolidating fiction also creates more shelf space. Lois Dissly added that her staff has made bookmarks with lists of genre authors. She said that the request from the Montana Shared Catalog to reduce the number of home locations was a factor in the fiction reorganization, and that the Library has not decided whether to keep genre spine labels. Her department is moving towards having vendors do more of the book processing, and that each sticker application increases the cost Director’s Report Susan Gregory reported that she met with Chuck Winn and Mike Gray from the City about ADA parking spots in the Library parking lot. They are working to address a complaint from an attorney at the Department of Education. The plan is to move the two ADA- compliant spaces by the street closer to the building, and to convert the senior parking area to 30 minute parking. At least three additional ADA spaces will be created near the southwest corner of the building. Gregory is working on the FY17 Budget, and is attending City Commission meetings on the 6th and 20th of this month for discussions of the City’s General Fund, of which the Library is a part. The Library’s partnership with the Bozeman Police Department is going well. Gregory will be attending the American Library Association Annual Conference in Orlando at the end of June, where she will help produce architectural tours of three Orlando public libraries and facilitate a program on fundraising for new libraries, for which Foundation Director Paula Beswick is a panelist. She will attend ALA Council meetings as the Montana Library Association representative. She shared articles from two national professional publications highlighting the Library: Library Journal, which mentioned the Bozeman Library’s unique partnership with the Bozeman Police Department to provide Library security without additional funding, and the editorial from the School Library Journal, which focused on the BPL’s excellent Children’s Department and its staff commitment to kindness and creativity. Staff Reports Lois Dissly, Head of Information & Technical Services, reported that the Annual Volunteer Brunch on June 1st was well-attended. There are currently 80 volunteers at the Library. Bozeman Baseball gave the Library tickets to games this season, and they will be made available via the pass reservation system (where patrons can also reserve passes to the City swim center and Bozeman museums). She also reported that the Library is working with the City Attorney’s office to develop a policy for people who want to collect signatures for petitions on Library grounds. Kit Stephenson, Head of Reference & Adult Services, reported on behalf of Cindy Christin that the Children’s Summer Reading Program is in full swing. The Adult Reading Program will take place in July. The theme is “Exercise and Health”, and the Library will sponsor a bike maintenance workshop, smoothie-making, as well as a walking discussion of Wuthering Heights on Peet’s Hill. Jason Greenwald, Head of Computer Services, reported that he has ordered laptops and tables for the refurbishment of the computer lab. His department is hosting a four-day Parks and Recreation program at the Library, which will teach Scratch (a programming language) to eight to ten-year-olds. City Report City Manager Chris Kukulski reported that the City will decide on the FY17 Budget on Monday. If the City adopts the Budget as it is currently proposed, it will mean a $125 yearly increase in taxes, fees and assessments to the typical resident. The City Commission wants to find a way to lower that increase. The Library was not guaranteed both requested personnel positions for the new bookmobile service beginning January 2017 (just the full time Librarian I, not the Library Assistant), but BPL Director Susan Gregory said that the Library was prepared to make cuts to materials and website design in its budget in order to free up more funds internally for this position. She explained that the staff agreed that the website redesign could wait but that two staff are critical to staff the bookmobile service and operate the administrative side of the program. Kukulski noted that these cuts would not guarantee that the second position would be funded. Kukulski said that the City approved a contract to update all City websites, and it would be more economical to update the Library website as part of this project. Library staff commented that this might not be feasible due to the Library’s special requirements of its website and that more information was needed. Kukulski and the Board discussed bookmobile funding. Donors to the bookmobile may be frustrated that they have given generously and that the City cannot guarantee personnel, but the City Manager said that the City cannot prioritize departments such as the Library that have foundations and fundraising groups as other City departments don’t have these. Library Director Gregory noted that discussions with the City about the bookmobile project since 2013 have always included a verbal agreement that the City’s contribution to the project would be personnel; personnel is the domain of the City and not the Friends of the Library or the Bozeman Library Foundation. The Board also discussed other sources of funding, such as asking the County to contribute funds for personnel, a grant, or using current employees and/or employing volunteers, but noted that none of these are appropriate for a long-term personnel requirement. Friends of the Library Friends of the Library President Pam Henley reported that the Friends have written a letter to the City Commission in support of the Library’s FY17 Budget request. There was $2,000 in book sales from the coffee shop in May. The Friends are working with a vendor to sell collectible items online. The next book sale is June 24-26th. The Friends’ next meeting is September 6th. Foundation Library Foundation Director Paula Beswick reported that the Foundation Board met yesterday, and that they have $3,725,000 in endowment funds (about $400,000 of which is for the bookmobile). The Foundation is putting out a request for proposals for investment advisors. The summer concert series is starting on Sunday. There will be two concerts per month. The Foundation is sending out a general appeal to the community for additional endowment funds for the bookmobile; the initial total of the bookmobile project, for the vehicle plus projected future maintenance funds, is $600,000. Beswick is in talks with Wi-Fi vendors for the bookmobile. The Foundation is organizing the East Side Mish-mash fundraising event on July 27th, along with Gallatin Art Crossing, Gallatin Valley Land Trust, the Bozeman Police Department Foundation, and the Bozeman Fire Department. There will be food, live music, raffles, and events such as a treasure hunt, relay races, and a tug of war between the police and fire departments. Beswick is attending the American Library Association Annual Conference with Director Gregory at the end of this month. She will be a speaker in programs on architecture (how to build a new library and get donors involved), milestone celebrations, and leadership. November 12th marks the 10th anniversary of the Library’s new building, and the Foundation and Library are planning celebrations that include an art show and music. This year’s One Book One Bozeman book is The Work by Wes Moore. MSU is creating videos to promote One Book One Bozeman, which will air on the television screens at the airport. The Foundation Board is taking the summer off and will resume meeting on the third Thursday of the month in September. Adjournment There being no further business, Board Chair Ron Farmer adjourned the meeting at 5:42pm.