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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-19-18 BPL Minutes FinalBozeman Public Library Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Bozeman Public Library—Board Room Wednesday, September 19th, 2018 Minutes Attendance Board Chair John Gallagher; Vice Chair Ron Price; Trustees Jennifer Pawlak, Kelly Dowdell; Bozeman Public Library (BPL) Director Susan Gregory; BPL Department Heads Cindy Christin, Mary Jo Stanislao, Kit Stephenson, Lois Dissly; City Commissioner Terry Cunningham; Friends of the Library President Stewart Mohr; Bozeman Public Library Foundation Director Janay Johnson. Call to Order The meeting was called to order by Board Chair Gallagher at 4:00pm. Approval of the Minutes Trustee Pawlak moved to approve the minutes from the August 22nd, 2018 meeting. Trustee Dowdell seconded. The Board voted unanimously to approve the minutes. Out of County Fee Susan Gregory reported that the Bridgernet Group (the libraries in Belgrade, Bozeman, Manhattan, Three Forks, and West Yellowstone) has been discussing the cost of library cards for non-residents of Gallatin County. West Yellowstone, Belgrade and Manhattan have received approval from their boards to lower the annual fee from $45 to $10. Last year, Bozeman collected $2,700 in out of county fees. Trustee Pawlak asked whether an out of county card purchased at one of these libraries for $10 could be used at BPL. Gregory said that it could. Vice Chair Price asked if this matter needed to be run by City Finance. Terry Cunningham said a phone call would be a good idea. Gregory added that public libraries around the country are moving toward removing barriers to access, such as fines and fees, and in doing so, increasing circulation and the number of card holders. Action Trustee Pawlak moved to approve lowering the out of county fee. Trustee Dowdell seconded. Vice Chair Price added an amendment: that Gregory have the authority to make budget adjustments as needed through rules of governance. The Board voted unanimously to approve lowering the out of county card fee from $45 to $10. BPL Foundation Board Liaison Board Chair Gallagher said that the Library Board Chair usually serves as a liaison to the Bozeman Public Library Foundation Board and attends their monthly meetings. Gallagher said he cannot make it to lunchtime meetings. Trustee Pawlak agreed to serve as the liaison to the Foundation board. Correspondence Susan Gregory shared correspondence from the community. A patron requested movie night events with dollar admission. Another patron remarked that it is getting harder to reserve time in the study rooms upstairs, and wanted to have access to the study rooms in the Children’s area. Cindy Christin remarked that the meeting rooms in the Children’s library are primarily for tutors, children and families. A patron remarked that the band that played at the Library yesterday was excellent. Director and Staff Report Susan Gregory reported that construction of the labyrinth is underway. She said there is an all staff meeting this Friday to discuss the Library reorganization and new schedule. Trustee Pawlak asked if the service desks will look different. Gregory said that eventually they will be consolidated: two people will work at what is now the Circulation desk, and furniture will be moved. The Library will be closed October 8th for Staff Day. The door traffic for August was 41,000, another record high. Lois Dissly reported that she attended the fall State Library workshop in Billings, which focused on the Montana Shared Catalog, including their new analytics system. She attended the monthly City supervisors’ HPO training, which this month focused on human trafficking and drugs, and a recent meeting of the Greater Gallatin Homeless Action Coalition focused on human trafficking as well. She said Bozeman’s day shelter is closing at the end of September. Gregory added that that Warming Center plans to send overflow families to the small red brick church on Church and Lamme this year. Kit Stephenson reported that Eli, the Library and City’s AmeriCorps VISTA employee, has been working on projects for the City’s Economic Development department, including starting a podcast interviewing local entrepreneurs. Starting in October he will release a monthly podcast. He is also helping BPL develop a plan for a business center, which will be a place for patrons to take classes and learn about starting a business or getting a job. The first class, on resumes, will be held in October. Kit Stephenson added that Reference staff member Anne Angus is leaving BPL to work at MSU. Cindy Christin reported that Children’s and Info staff member Shannon Gustafson broke her hip and will be out for at least three months. City Report Commissioner Terry Cunningham reported that the City is in the process of hiring a new Public Works director. He said the City is doing a big push for the Public Safety Center campaign, including a town hall meeting tonight at the Library. The City has planned over 70 meetings on the topic. He said the City’s estimation for an increase in revenue came in at 3.1%, about $100,000 less than the City was anticipating. There is also less carryover from last year. The Finance department is looking at the budget very carefully, so the ~$46,000 the Library will contribute in fines is not insignificant, and will likely need to come from another source if fines are eliminated. Friends of the Library Report Friends of the Library President Stewart Mohr reported that there will be a pop-up book and music sale on October 3rd, as well as one in early December. The Friends are considering going from three to four sales per year, based on the number of donations they are receiving. He said the Friends’ finances are in good shape, and the Friends are working on ways to make funds more easily accessible to Library staff. Foundation Janay Johnson reported that the Library Gala is on October 13th, and there are lots of great auction items. She said that each year there is a cash call at the Gala. Last year it was to fund the online instruction database Lynda.com for two years, and this year it will be for SymBozium, the Library’s new civil discourse series. The goal for SymBozium is to put on four public programs with prominent speakers next year, which will cost roughly $50,000. Two donors have already given $5,000 each in matching funds for the series. Johnson said that the attendance for the Our Yellowstone series has been phenomenal, with crowds spilling into the lobby for seating. The month-long event was planned with help from staff from Yellowstone Forever, the Montana State University Library and the Museum of the Rockies. While the majority of feedback has been very positive, Johnson said she has heard from a few people who were unhappy with the lack of diversity in presenters. She said she and Susan Gregory met with the people who voiced concerns and promised to be alert to this when booking speakers next time. Gregory explained to the group that the Library’s mission is always to be inclusive and that is evident in other programs. The lack of diversity for the series was an oversight; committee members had automatically asked the local prominent authors and researchers with publications and they turned out to be a non-diverse group. It’s imperative to bring people of all ethnic backgrounds and ages to the table for the conservation discussion so that the movement continues to flourish. Fine Free Library Discussion Susan Gregory said that she had invited City Manager Andrea Surratt to the Board meeting to discuss this proposal, but was not sure if she would be able to make it due to a meeting conflict. Gregory said one reason to make a decision has to do with purchasing new self-checks. The hardware to allow collection of money is an expensive add-on. Trustee Pawlak asked if there was a deadline for ordering new replacement self-checkout machines, and Mary Jo Stanislao and Kit Stephenson explained that there was no hard deadline, but that it would be convenient to have the new machines available to install when the first floor furniture is shifted. The Library Board has discussed the reasons to join other public libraries around the country in going fine-free in past meetings: removing small daily fines that accumulate has encouraged more people, especially families with small children, to come back and use libraries. It is still expected that materials must be returned. The Library would continue to use Unique Management, the library materials collection service it has used for years, to pursue lost materials. Libraries that have done away with daily fines report an increase in patrons and circulation, with no noticeable increase in lost materials. The Board discussed frustrations with moving this policy forward, and whether or not the City administration needed to be involved at this juncture, given the fact that the policy has been in discussion for several meetings and administrative staff have not been able to come to Board meetings. Susan Gregory and Children’s Dept. Head Cindy Christin made appeals for going fine free, even if it means cutting the materials budget to make up the lost revenue to the City general fund. The goal is to increase the number of families and children, especially those in pre-K to 3rd grade, who use the Library. Friends of the Library President Stewart Mohr commented that he thought the Friends could help alleviate a cut in the materials budget in order to make up the cost in revenue to the City budget and not hurt the materials budget. Trustee Price said that he thought the policy should be approved with the understanding that Gregory will work with the appropriate City personnel to address budget issues. Action Vice Chair Price moved to approve the elimination of Library fines. Trustee Dowdell seconded. The Board voted unanimously to approve the elimination of Library fines, with the beginning date to be determined by Library administration. Adjournment There being no further business, Chairman Gallagher adjourned the meeting at 5:10pm.