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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-20-19 BPL Minutes FinalBozeman Public Library Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Bozeman Public Library—Board Room Wednesday, February 20 th , 2019 Minutes Attendance Board Chair John Gallagher; Vice Chair Ron Price; Trustees Ken Spencer, Jennifer Pawlak; Bozeman Public Library (BPL) Director Susan Gregory; BPL Department Heads Mary Jo Stanislao, Kit Stephenson, Lois Dissly, Cindy Christin; Administrative Assistant Lauranna Cossins; 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 Vice Chair Price moved to approve the minutes from the January 16th, 2019 meeting. Trustee Spencer seconded. The Board voted unanimously to approve the minutes. March Board Meeting Board Chair Gallagher said that the next Board meeting is scheduled during spring break. The Board noted that Ron Price will not be here for March or April meetings, and that Kelley Dowdell will be gone during spring break. The Board agreed to move the March meeting from March 20th to March 27th. Other Business Board Chair Gallagher reminded the Board to turn in their signed financial disclosure forms to City administration. Library Budget Susan Gregory thanked Lauranna Cossins and the Library department heads for their help in creating the Library’s FY20 Budget request; their help each year is of great value. She said the overall increase from last year is 7.7%. With the Board’s approval, Gregory said she will take this budget request to the City administration on March 7th to start the negotiation process. The operation and maintenance budget increased by 3%, which is a standard annual increase. Books and materials increased by 5%, because of additional pre-processing expenses. There is a 22% increase in equipment, maintenance and repair due to a new credit card machine upstairs. Utilities saw an 18% increase for a work cell phone that Kit Stephenson will use. Contracted services went up 8%, which includes an increase in fees for collection service Unique Management, which Mary Jo Stanislao said was to account for a possible rise in number of accounts sent to collection once the Library eliminates late fines. There were also increases for travel, so staff can attend library conferences both in and out of state. Under Other, subscriptions increased by 17% for a continued subscription to online service Lynda.com, which the Foundation sponsored for the first two years. Lynda.com costs about $13,000 per year and is heavily used by patrons. Also under subscriptions is a continued subscription to the New York Times online (about $2,000/year) and Kanopy, which is a new service to BPL and offers streaming films that patrons can download. Kanopy costs $7,000/year. Trustee Pawlak asked if the Board can get a quarterly snapshot of number of users for these services, and Kit Stephenson said she could provide this. Also in the budget were funds for an off-site storage unit for the Library in anticipation of a big cleanup in the work room. Seasonal items and furniture could all go into storage. The Library’s lease for the Toyota Highlander was paid out of the general fund last year, but will need to be in the budget this year. Its yearly cost is $8,544. A vehicle maintenance fund for the Highlander is $635/year. Trustee Pawlak asked if the staffing budget is a separate process, and Gregory said yes, and that this budget is only for operations and maintenance. Action Trustee Pawlak moved to approve the FY20 maintenance and operations budget. Vice Chair Price seconded. The Board voted unanimously to approve the budget. Correspondence Susan Gregory shared correspondence from the community. A patron requested the Library buy a Mahjong board. Someone asked for the addresses of Bookmobile stops to be published on the Bookmobile schedule. A patron wants Flights of Fancy (a sculpture upstairs) to be put on a higher pedestal so people do not walk into it. Someone reported that an accessible computer was being used by people who do not need it. There was a request for more sections for popular genres of books, such as dinosaurs, potty training, colors, and princesses. There was a suggestion for a story time program for older kids. Someone asked for a play zone in the Children’s department with slides. Someone else would like free ice cream in the Children’s department every day. Director and Staff Report Susan Gregory reported that there was a small delay with the Library outreach office project and that the construction contract would be on the February 25th City Commission consent agenda for approval. This is the Open Door project, which will bring nonprofit, social service and public safety representatives to the Library on a rotating basis to offer information and assistance to Library patrons and visitors. Construction will occur during March. Mary Jo Stanislao and Gregory will work on the fine free transition. The Library’s new Assistant Director is Kit Stephenson. A Montana State Library consultant invited BPL Trustees to a workshop at the Butte Public Library on April 24th. Trustees should contact Pam Henley if they are interested in attending. Trustee Pawlak asked for an update about the parking lot improvements, and Gregory said she would check in with Mike Gray, Facilities. Mary Jo Stanislao said that new self-checkout machines and security gates are scheduled to be installed the week of March 18th. It will take about 4 days to install the equipment and train staff. Kit Stephenson reported that the Reference desk was moved to the other side of the stairwell. There is a data/wiring issue that needs to be resolved, but eventually both Reference and Computer Services staff will work at the desk. A new document station for scanning, emailing, printing and faxing will also be installed upstairs. Stephenson reported that the community reading series One Book One Bozeman is in full swing. This year’s book is “Love and Other Consolation Prizes” by Jamie Ford. About 18 people attended the tea ceremony, and 40 people attended the Cupid’s Disease program. Next week authors Jamie Ford and Jamie Harrison will be at the Library talking about writing historical fiction. Dawn Hobson in the Foundation has worked on marketing efforts for this event and a large crowd is anticipated. Stephenson said that Volunteer Coordinator Andrea Davis has left her position and that the Library is in the process of interviewing two internal candidates. Stephenson filled in as a panelist for Susan Gregory at a day long United for Libraries workshop at the Seattle American Library Association conference; Gregory had to cancel at the last minute due to a family funeral. Stephenson spoke about working with library friends and foundation groups. Lois Dissly reported that the Greater Gallatin Homeless Action Coalition gave the Library an award for its support of the homeless community. Dissly said that the Friends of the Library contributed $5,000 for a new Most Wanted DVD collection, and the approximately 100 titles are getting checked out almost as soon as they are put on the shelf. Fourteen days is the minimum checkout the catalog allows, so there is a sign encouraging patrons to return the movies before the due date if they are finished with them. Cindy Christin reported that the Museum of the Rockies has a childhood classic books exhibit currently and that she and other Library staff have presented story time events in conjunction with the exhibit. Christin is working on an article about the summer reading program for the Bozeman Chronicle, and meeting with school librarians to discuss a plan to stem summer learning loss, including opening school libraries during the summer a few days a week, involving schools in the summer reading program, and encouraging all K-2 students to read 100 books this summer. Foundation Report Janay Johnson reported that Give Big is coming up in May. The Foundation would like to have more of a presence in the Library leading up to it, and will partner with the Friends again. The Library Gala will happen on September 28th at the Hilton Garden Inn. A team is working on an RFQ for a master plan of the Library site, which would investigate a possible expansion and come up with a quote. Johnson said she is looking at forming a steering committee for this project that could include staff, Trustees and members from Friends and Foundation boards. She emphasized that it is a very preliminary step in exploring the feasibility of expansion, and not a definite plan. The study would likely cost $75,000-$80,000. Adjournment There being no further business, Board Chair Gallagher adjourned the meeting at 5:15pm.