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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-17-14 Library Board of Trustees MinutesBozeman Public Library Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Bozeman Public Library—Staff/Board Room Wednesday, September 17, 2014 Minutes Attendance Present: Trustees Judy Mathre, Jacki McGuire, Jennifer Pawlak, John Gallagher; BPL Department Heads Lois Dissly, Terri Dood and MaryJo Stanislao; City Superintendent of Facilities James Goehrung and Facilities staff member Lonnie Wirtz; Friends President David House; City Director of Economic Development Brit Fontenot; David Kack and Taylor Lonsdale of the Western Transportation Institute (WTI); Kelly Pohl of the Gallatin Valley Land Trust. Absent: Board Chair Ron Farmer; Bozeman Public Library (BPL) Director Susan Gregory. Guests Local resident Joseph Stefani Call to Order The meeting was called to order by Trustee Jacki McGuire at 4:00pm. Approval of the Minutes Trustee John Gallagher moved that the minutes from the August 20, 2014 meeting be approved. Trustee Judy Mathre seconded. The Board voted unanimously to approve the minutes. Public Comment There was none. Pedestrian Walkway and Parking Lot Update Various Board and Staff members explained the existing problems and concerns with the Library’s parking lot to David Kack and Taylor Lonsdale of the WTI, including lack of speed control, signage, and designated pedestrian crossing. The presence of the Harrington property’s new parking lot will likely impact foot traffic across the Library parking lot, and the location of disabled parking spaces has been an ongoing complaint from patrons. Kack and Lonsdale offered some possible solutions, including raised crosswalks, which can act as speed deterrents and draw attention to pedestrians crossing the lot, and video trailers which can record video footage of the parking lot over a period of time to identify problems. Certain aspects of the parking lot, such as the dog bone landscaping areas will likely need to stay in place because they satisfy aspects of the building’s LEED certification. Kelly Pohl from the Gallatin Valley Land Trust also weighed in. Her organization helps negotiate easements with private landowners for trail access, and they are willing to work on an easement agreement with the Harrington property owners if that would be helpful. The GLVT is now located in the Harrington building, and Pohl said that they are available to provide input on other trail and access questions as they arise. Action Trustee Mathre moved that the Library request a proposal from WTI for a traffic study of the Library’s parking lot. Trustee Jennifer Pawlak seconded. The Board voted unanimously to request the proposal. Correspondence There was none. Director’s Report Trustee Jacki McGuire summarized the written Director’s Report for the Board. The Foundation’s donor reception at the Story Mansion on August 25th and the MSU Convocation later that evening were successful and well-attended. Library Director Susan Gregory met with the City Manager to discuss the Library’s landscaping needs on September 3rd. More in the way of clean-up, landscaping and weeding needs to be done to maintain the Library’s grounds. The Board will discuss looking into getting estimates from contractors to address these issues. The merger between the Bozeman Sculpture Park and the Gallatin Art Crossing has been well-received by the community, including a feature in the Bozeman Chronicle’s “Get Out!” section featuring the new partnership. The Area 626 maker movement series continues to draw patrons. Classes have included crocheting, costume-making, and toy-making using elementary electrical circuits. The Library’s Personnel Information & Enrichment Committee is working to plan this year’s Staff Day on November 11th, which will feature speaker Josh Hanagarne, author of “The World’s Strongest Librarian.” Children’s Services Supervisor Cindy Christin is in Phoenix this week to present to the state’s librarians on early literacy and the importance of play in learning. The new computer classes being offered at the Library, taught by Technology Training Center Supervisor Jason Greenwald, have been extremely successful. iPad and Excel top the list of popular classes. Reference Librarians Carmen Clark and Jane Basile worked to produce this year’s Banned Books program, which is a joint program with MSU where community members will gather at the Library on September 22nd to read from challenged books. Staff Report Terri Dood reported that Nancy Hatfield has been hired to fill a 15-hour per week vacancy in Reference. Lois Dissly reported on the new time print management system which will be implemented in early October. The new system, EnvisionWare, will shut laptop borrowers out automatically after the two-hour borrowing period is up. It will take coins and bills, and will allow patrons to select and print their items at the printer, instead of having to sort through other printed material to find their print job. There will be new printers both upstairs and downstairs which will be able to print color and black and white. Public computers may be down for up to three full days during installation of the software, but Dissly said she will be sure to publicize this fact so that patrons are prepared. MaryJo Stanislao reported that the Food for Fines program is going on now, and that patrons can bring in up to 20 food items for donation to the Gallatin Valley Food Bank to waive up to $20 in fines. Stanislao, Susan Gregory and Katie Biehl interviewed candidates for the open 15-hour per week Library Aide II position, but their top two candidates declined the offer. They will conduct another round of interviews tomorrow. Stanislao and Dissly reported briefly on the Library’s presence at Montana State University’s Catapalooza event this year, noting that staff signed up approximately 330 students for library cards. City Superintendent of Facilities Report City Superintendent of Facilities James Goehrung reported that his department is moving forward with replacing blinds in the Montana Room, the Community Room, and various offices in the Library. Proposals for a new public address system for the Library were due at 2pm today. Snow removal contracts for city facilities including the Library will be put before the City Commission on September 22nd. Goehrung asked the staff to consider where in the Library to put a TTY device for hearing impaired individuals, and who should be responsible for it. Trustee Pawlak asked about pathways on the front lawn, and Goehrung answered that what is currently out there is not the finished product. Library Budget Trustee McGuire presented the revised final budget for the fiscal year 2014. In the original budget, it appeared that the Library had overspent on salaries, but the discrepancy was due to staff members who retired or left the Library and collected paid time off that then came out of the budget for salaries. In the revised version, $24,000 was moved from the benefits column to the to the salaries column, with the total amount remaining of $1,237.51. Friends Report Friends President David house reminded the Board of the upcoming book sale in November, and reported that donations are steadily pouring in. The Friends’ annual meeting will be held in the third week of January, when they will elect new officers. The Friends are still seeking a new treasurer, as well as new board members. Adjournment There being no further business, Trustee McGuire adjourned the meeting at 5:08 pm.