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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-18-15 BPL Board Minutes FinalBozeman Public Library Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Bozeman Public Library—Staff/Board Room Wednesday, March 18 th , 2015 Minutes Attendance Present: Board Chair Ron Farmer; Trustees Jacki McGuire, Judy Mathre, John Gallagher; Bozeman Public Library (BPL) Director Susan Gregory; BPL Department Head MaryJo Stanislao; Library Foundation Director Paula Beswick; prospective buyer of the Lindley Perk coffee shop Blaise Arsenault; current Lindley Perk coffee shop owner Jason Cargill; Friends of the Library President Sharyn Anhalt; City of Bozeman legal assistant Heather Bienvenue. Call to Order The meeting was called to order by Board Chair Ron Farmer at 4:02pm. Approval of the Minutes Trustee Mathre moved that the minutes from the February 18th, 2015 meeting be approved. Trustee McGuire seconded. The Board voted unanimously to approve the minutes. Lindley Perk Coffee Shop Lease Friends President Sharon Anhalt presented a new version of the proposed lease between the Friends of the Library and prospective Lindley Perk coffee shop buyer Blaise Arsenault. She explained that the only changes were the parties to the lease, as this new version included the name of Blaise’s LLC. She said that in order to transfer the lease to Arsenault, the lease itself would need to be approved by the Board, the parties would sign it, and Arsenault would provide a check for the deposit and rent. A condition of premises inspection was done yesterday with Jason Cargill, and some areas of repair were identified. They will be taken care of very soon, and the City Attorney’s office said it was fine to proceed with the lease, as the Friends group still has Cargill’s security deposit. Action Trustee Mathre moved to approve the lease agreement between Arsenault, his LLC, and the Friends of the Library, the lease termination agreement between the Friends and Jason Cargill, and the memorandum of understanding between Blaise Arsenault and the Friends. Trustee Gallagher seconded. The Board voted unanimously to approve the three agreements. Arsenault and Cargill signed the agreements to transfer the lease to Arsenault. Traffic Study update BPL Director Susan Gregory reported that she has been in touch with Taylor Lonsdale from the Western Transportation Institute at MSU, and asked him to provide cost estimates for the preliminary plan he presented at the February 18 th board meeting. He was not able to put together these estimates in time for the meeting, but Gregory will email the trustees once she receives the numbers from him. Trustee Gallagher asked if the outline presented at the February board meeting was the final report, as it would be helpful to have a more detailed written report with cost estimates included. Gregory read from the February meeting minutes that the next step was for WTI to put together cost estimates and return with a final report. Correspondence BPL Director Susan Gregory shared correspondence from the community. A patron was upset that Library computers were shut down before closing (this is not the Library’s policy). Another patron wrote to say that the Tuesday yoga classes at the Library impacted the parking lot, leaving no disabled spaces. A patron requested the ability to book the second floor study rooms online. The Library received another request for new task chairs to replace the current chairs in the Montana Room. A patron wrote a note saying that no one was at the reference desk when he or she came to ask a question. Gregory received a thank you note from Ralene Simmons, officer for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation after her visit to Bozeman and the Library last month. Gregory also corresponded with Erica Coyle, director of Haven, Bozeman’s women’s shelter. Haven is working to open a new center whose location will be north of Bozeman Ponds. Coyle would like to partner with the Library to provide books and computer classes to its residents. She and Gregory discussed the possibility of the new Haven location being a bookmobile stop, as well as bringing residents to the Library for computer classes. Coyle is willing to support the Library’s request for a 40-hour computer training position before the City Commission. Sharon Anhalt offered that the Friends could provide Haven with books for their library. Gregory shared information about a trespass notice issued to an individual, banning him from the Library property for one year. Gregory and the Board discussed the issue of transient patrons and the complaints from the public. The Library is encountering new issues, such as patrons bringing in shopping carts and large bags with nowhere else to store them. The Board discussed community shower, laundry and storage resources. Circulation Supervisor MaryJo Stanislao wondered how aware the community is of the homeless problem at the Library, and in general in Bozeman. Anhalt suggested reaching out to the Chronicle for a newspaper story to bring awareness to the situation. Gregory reiterated that the Library plans to update its policies, especially in light of recent issues and complaints. She and the Department Heads will work on drafts, beginning with the Behavior policy, and involve the Board for review, input and approval of new policies. Director’s Report BPL Director Susan Gregory reported that she made the budget request for the Library before the City on February 23 rd , and has not heard anything back yet. The door traffic last month was 30,368 visitors, which is good for February. She shared articles on the proposed BPL bookmobile project that were recently published in Bozeman Magazine, as well as a very enthusiastic editorial in the Bozeman Daily Chronicle. Gregory attended the Broad Valleys Retreat in Butte on February 27 th -28 th , where she and other librarians from the Broad Valley Federation received training on internet security and Go to Meeting software, among other things, by the Montana State Library staff. Gregory also attended the Network Advisory Council in Helena on March 10 th . The Council, which oversees partnership projects for Montana libraries, discussed issues including the increased cost of the Montana Library2go project. Gregory and Adult Services Head Terri Dood are working with City HR to fill the open 15-hour per week reference position. The first round of interviews yielded no qualified applicants. Gregory reported that the Southwest Montana Arts group (SMART) has been meeting at the Library, and wants to show their appreciation for use of the Library’s meeting rooms by donating new LED light bulbs for the Library’s lobby. The all-Board retreat will take place at the Library on March 27 th . The Friends of the Library Board, Library Foundation Board, Library Board of Trustees and City administration have been invited to attend. The Montana Library Association (MLA) conference will be held in Bozeman April 8 th -11 th at the Grantree hotel and Holiday Inn. Food for Fines will occur during National Library Week (April 12 th -18 th ). Patrons can bring in canned food items in exchange for up to $20 in waived fines (not including lost book fees). Kate Holloway, Carri Genovese and Josh Andrews will be participating in the Bozeman School Foundation’s annual spelling bee fundraiser on March 20 th . Carmen Clark won the Montana Library Association scholarship to attend the American Library Association conference in San Francisco in June. Terri Dood has organized a group of staff to form the Noise Zone Committee to help combat the Library’s noise issues. The committee has come up with a plan to implement three different types of noise zones in the Library: Silent (no talking, whispering or cell phone conversations), Quiet (no cell phones, whispering is permitted) and Conversation (group study in quiet voices, and brief and quiet cell phone conversations allowed). The Board discussed implementing this plan, as well as the feasibility of purchasing soundproof cell phone booths for use within the Library. Action Trustee Mathre moved to approve the Noise Zone Committee suggestions. Trustee Gallagher seconded the motion. The Board voted unanimously to approve the suggestions. Friends Report Friends President Sharyn Anhalt reported that the Friends allocated approximately $18,000 to the Library at their last meeting. This money is going to fund refreshments for the Montana Library Association reception at BPL on April 8 th , book club kits ($2,500), the Most Wanted collection ($5,000), the children’s summer reading program ($2,100), and Library departments’ discretionary funds ($7,000). The Friends’ book sale is this weekend. At the members-only sale on Friday evening, members will be given big orange stickers to wear that identify them as Friends of the Library members. Memberships will be available to purchase at the door. Foundation Report Foundation Director Paula Beswick reported that the bookmobile kickoff fundraiser at Ale Works was a success, raising between $4,000 and $5,000. Patrick, Carol and Eddie Hemingway were in attendance and were very enthusiastic in their support of the fundraising efforts. Eddie donated two original prints from one of his books. Attendees had many questions about the bookmobile and the event generated a lot of excitement about the project. Shelly Insheiwat from KTVU did a story about the event, and wants to follow up with news stories as the bookmobile project progresses. The event was covered by two local television stations. Beswick is submitting an article on the Ale Works event for the May/June issue of the national United for Libraries newsletter. Beswick reported that the artist who donated bike racks to the Library a few years ago is moving to Bozeman and would like to donate more. The art reception for Kara Tripp, whose paintings are on display this month in the lobby, went very well – two paintings were sold that night, and two have sold since. The Library has submitted an $8,000 grant to Montana Sky Guest Ranch for the children’s outdoor play space. Representatives are coming to do a site visit on Tuesday. The Gallatin Art Crossing (GAC) board met last night. It plans to hold its reception at the Library on August 20 th . Its goal is to put 10 new pieces in the Bozeman Sculpture Park (BSP). Since GAC merged with BSP, the group has put together a budget and a fundraising plan. The idea is to have BSP exist as an entity under the umbrella of the GAC. The Board discussed the agenda for the upcoming all-board retreat. In addition to staff speakers, Doug from Mammoth marketing will share some preliminary results from his marketing survey. After the information session, the boards will break into five groups to discuss challenges the Library is facing, and how to best address them. This will be followed by a chance to share insights between groups. After this, board members along with City commissioners, the City Manager, and City department directors will be invited to tour Library stations where staff members will be available to answer questions about day to day details of Library operations. All will be invited to a catered dinner at the conclusion. Adjournment There being no further business, Board Chair Ron Farmer adjourned the meeting at 5:44pm.